The Prince of Pergrande
by SiahTai
Summary: Lucy Heartfilia is the spirited and wayward Princess of Fiore. Her father, King Jude Heartfilia, constantly has to reprimand her for her disobedience, but Lucy has other things on her mind. Natsu Dragneel, the rebellious Prince of Pergrande, has a knack for swordplay and a fondness for open water. What happens when these two meet?
1. Chapter 1

**Helloo once again Audience!**

**Soo... This story was based off of an original of mine, converted to fit the characters involved. Although it was originally intended to only be five or six chapters long, these chapters are super short, so I'm thinking this story will be much much longer. :)**

**In this story, magic isn't as prominent as in the actual show, but it's still plays a factor. The original king of Fiore, Toma E. Fiore, doesn't exist (obviously!). This story will definitely leave the characters OOC (ex. Natsu is fine with travel over the ocean and horseback, and most of the character's personalities are a bit... off.), but I hope everyone still likes it!**

**Also, this story involves swordplay and sea-travel (as hinted at before) so... yeah. We'll see how that goes ;)**

**Well, without further adieu, let us begin the story!**

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**Disclaimer: I own nothing! ... One can only wish. D:**

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_Summary: Lucy Heartfilia is the spirited and wayward princess of Fiore. Her father, King Jude Heartfilia, constantly has to reprimand her for her disobedience, but Lucy has other things on her mind. Natsu Dragneel, the rebellious prince of Pergrande, has a knack for swordplay and a fondness for open water. What happens when these two meet?_

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**The Prince of Pergrande**

_In the Kingdom of Fiore..._

There was a firm knock on King Jude Heartfilia's study room door. The king glanced up from his tedious work on some particularly important documents, setting his quill aside and folding his hands in front of him neatly.

"Enter!" the king said in his powerful and authoritative voice. The heavy door opened and a man in his mid-forties poked his head inside, a timid expression on his unusually pale face.

"P-Pardon me my lord," he stuttered.

"Gods above, Ainslee, you look as if you've seen a ghost! What's the matter with you?"

The pale man visibly broke into a sweat as he explained himself, "W-Well my lord, the knights have managed to locate the princess, but…"

"But?"

Ainslee gulped and wiped his brow with a white cloth he had concealed in his neat black suit before continuing, his hands lightly shaking which did not escape the king's notice.

"Well your majesty, it appears as though the only way she will return to the castle is if they use bodily force."

The king's expression became absolutely livid, his face turning bright red and his white teeth clenching tightly. Ainslee winced, already knowing what his superior was about to say… or rather shout.

"You tell those knights to bring her back, no matter what it takes, you hear?! What in the world is she doing outside of the castle?! Doesn't she know how dangerous it is out there? She could get mugged, hurt, or worse! Go, Ainslee, and tell those men that they'd better retrieve my daughter. If they don't…"

The king narrowed his eyes and fisted his hands, his knuckles turning white, "Well, let's just say they'll be out of a job. Permanently!"

Ainslee gave a short polite bow and excused himself from his master's study. The king sighed and pinched the bridge or his nose irately, mumbling to himself.

"That girl… why must she be so defiant?"

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**Whew! I hope everyone liked! :D**

**R&R if you'd be so kind... **


	2. Chapter 2

**I just _had_ to post a second chapter today. The last one was... way too short. Rate and reviews would be lovely. Flames and malicious trolling... not so much. Dx**

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**Disclaimer: I am the owner... of nothing. v_v**

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**_Chapter 2_**

_Somewhere In Crocus City..._

It was no surprise the knights had such a hard time locating her. Crocus was by far the largest – and grandest – city in all of Fiore. The Flower Blooming Capital possessed hundreds of different streets, not accounting for all the side streets and worn paths, and alleyways which were perfect for hiding in.

The buildings within the castle town were, for the most part, very large in size and expressive with color and high tower points. Even the main streets were elaborate in design, sporting flower motifs and chess-like patterns. Denizens of Crocus leisurely walked down the streets, avoiding coaches being pulled by magnificent steeds, and casually making conversation with their companions or other passerbys.

From the princess's hiding spot in a community sight-seeing tower, she could easily see the Flower Light Palace – Mercurius, her home, in all of its glory sitting atop of the island in the center of the massive lake. The lake itself was in the center of Crocus, the palace being the very heart of the city by all rights.

It was ridiculously large, linked to the surroundings by a pair of bridges that were constantly being guarded, day and night. It was an extremely tall building that was very intricately decorated and designed; it seemed to consist of several different, yet uniform buildings fused together, with some sections protruding outwards and assuming particular forms, and the walls being mainly adorned by orders of large, rectangular windows lined up and flanked by protruding pillars.

For as large as the palace was, its main entrance seemed to be mildly small, topped by a very high decorative arc which formed to a point near the top, and had the central part adorned by a large and round flower window. Several towers and spires adorned the palace, the structures reminiscent of ancient Greek and Roman temples. Topping off the entire castle was a high round tower, with its lower half much larger than its upper half (being adorned by elongated windows) and ending in a dome, from which an even thinner point rose several meters before ending in a pointed tiled roof.

To most, the palace was the foundation of utmost magnificence. To the princess however, who was currently staring at it in distaste, thought of it as a dungeon. She hated being confined in her dreadful study, forced to read things she had no interest in and made to act like a "proper" lady. Even though she was a princess, a young woman of royal blood, she felt as if though she didn't belong in such a place. Her heart yearned for adventure, for horseback riding on endless and lush lands… where no knights would chase after her, telling her that her father demands that she ride side-saddle.

The princess wrinkled her nose at the thought. The only appealing thing she found about the palace was the lush gardens, and it was completely surrounded by them. Much like the rest of the city, the gardens were flooded by a generous amount of flowers, possessing flowerbeds and vegetable and fruit gardens, and in addition, artistically arranged plants and small, tidy square hedges. The paths leading through them were beautifully designed as well, fashioned in a mosaic style of flat rectangular stones. Each path led to a large fountain which sat in the front of the palace, surrounded by a ground-level round and shallow pool. Water jets jutted upward from both the fountain and the pool, with the former also housing some plants on its base.

The princess looked away from the gardens beauty when a senior knight shouted to one of his squad members.

"Have you spotted her yet?"

"No, sir!"

"Well, don't just stand there! Keep looking!"

"Yes sir!"

The group jogged off, some holding pikes and spears while others pressed down on the hilt of their sheathed swords so they could move better. Their armor clanked and rattled with each movement, alerting the princess to their whereabouts and allowing her to easily evade them.

She sighed and tilted her head to the side. _'Just a bit longer… I don't want to go back just yet…'_

The princess knew it was inevitable either way. If she didn't move soon, they would find her hiding spot and she would be forced to find a new one, after she escaped again that is.

Although the twin bridges leading in and out of Mercurius were constantly being guarded, she found it somewhat easy to escape the palace undetected. A small marshy path was accessible on the left side of the bridge. In order for her to cross though, she would have to wear a metal bucket above her head and dive underwater. The metal bucket would provide an air pocket with just enough air for her to make it all the way across. She would change into a hidden set of clothes once she was safely across and then retreat to her hideout – which was now the tower she was currently in.

'_I suppose I should go now. Fantastic. I can't wait to hear my father's lecture on _this_ one,'_ she thought sarcastically.

Hanging her head in resigned disappointment, she headed for the ladder that would lead her down the tower and back to her dull fate.

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**Waachachacha! ^_^**

**...**

**No idea.**

**ANYWAY! I hope the Audience likes, even though this was really short as well... -_- **

** I promise that there'll be a ton of chapters to make up for the shortness :) For now though, I am off! Cheerio, ta-ta, bye-bye! **

**PS: Did I already mention... R&R? ;D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Helloo once again Audience! I reward thee for thy patience and deliver another chapter. I hope you all enjoy! :)**

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**Disclaimer: Of course I own nothing... except for the plotline that is. :'}**

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**Chapter 3**

"Do you realize what kind of danger you put yourself in? Honestly, Lucy, it is as if though you have no care whatsoever in regards to your safety. Must I appoint yet _another_ guard to watch over you?"

Princess Lucy Heartfilia discreetly rolled her eyes at her father's nagging. She understood that he loved her and that he was just concerned for her safety. He just wanted what was best for her, but honestly, this was becoming tiresome.

He should have been used to this by now; chasing her day after day, trying to keep her on a short leash… it just wasn't who she was. She cringed at the thought of having another bodyguard posing as her shadow, following her around wherever she went. She already had two as it were.

Lucy sighed and idly fingered the pages of the dreadfully dull textbook that was lying open in front of her.

"Father, must you make such a big deal out of it? I'm fine, I'm home, I'm safe; isn't that all that matters?"

His face reflected that of a tomato and Lucy winced, knowing what was coming.

"No, that isn't all that matters. I'll put it to you frank, my dear: you are not allowed to leave the castle, under any circumstances! Do I make myself clear? You are to never leave this island unless accompanied by either the Captain of the Guard, or myself. Do you understand?!"

Now it was Lucy's turn to spit venom. Outraged, she shouted back, "That's completely barbaric! You can't keep me locked up in this prison forever! I want to see the world, meet new people, explore new lands, try new-"

"That's completely out of the question!"

Lucy could feel moisture beginning to form in the corner of her eyes. The king was beyond furious now. For some time he suspected as much; that she had wanted to go on some ridiculous "grand adventure". She had been reading too many of those damned books of hers. He would have to remind the housekeeper to remove them from her chambers the next time the maids tidied up. Such folly ideas were impractical and were not fit for a lady of her social status. She was a princess for Christ's sake!

"Why are you acting like this?!" Lucy screamed at him, rising from her chair with her fists clenched. She too was infuriated, but hurt was also a dominating emotion. Did he not see what kind of person she truly was? At times, it was as if he didn't even know her.

It was not always so. At one point in her life, Lucy could honestly say that she was, indeed, quite happy living in the castle as a young lady. She enjoyed life, playing with young servant girls, learning from her private tutor, and even taking musical instruction from a famed colleague of her fathers.

Though, all of this changed when the castle had been lay to siege by Caelum, a nearby country just south of Fiore. They were a bigger and slightly more powerful kingdom, but Lucy's father had experience on the young lord who ruled over the newer land. King Heartfilia was able to organize his troops and lead an effective counterattack, forcing the opposition away from Fiore and ultimately defeating them. However, there were heavy casualties suffered, and amongst the wreckage was Lucy's own mother, Queen Layla Heartfilia.

The king hadn't smiled and was never the same since then.

Lucy squeezed her eyes shut, willing the painful memory to vanish from her mind. Seemingly reading her thoughts, her father grew silent and looked away.

"Lucy… My darling daughter, please try to understand. I just don't want to lose you. Ever since your mother-" he winced and took a deep breath, shaking his head slowly. Lucy's brow furrowed and felt as if though the very air in her lungs had been robbed from her.

"I know. You needn't remind me." She had meant to snap, but the words came out breathy and hoarse.

Before he could say anything more, she turned on her heel and walked out of her study, not once glancing at her father's face. She couldn't bear to look at him. Not now.

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_ Dear Mama,_

_ I've been thinking about you so much lately. I know you're watching over me from heaven, but sometimes it feels as if though you're so far away. I want to be able to hold you again, feel the warmth of your embrace, the comfort that comes with it. Although I would never admit it out loud, I kind of miss that childish desire. All I can do now is take solace in family portraits and old trinkets that used to belong to you._

_ Oh Mama… I feel so lonely. I wish I could make Father understand the way I feel, but I know it could never be. Sometimes I feel as if though I could just run away… run away from this terrible prison I'm subjected to…_

Lucy closed her journal, not really having it in her to write anymore, despite it being to her mother. She sighed and pushed herself out of her chair, walking toward her chamber's main window. It had been such a lovely day out and now it was raining a steady drizzle, the sky dark and foreboding. What dangers could possibly be lurking about there in the wild? Tales of untold mystery and adventure-

A sudden light knock on her door pulled Lucy's wayward thoughts back to reality. She rubbed her cheeks to make sure they were free of tear-stains and replied a gentle, "Come in."

The door opened to reveal the Captain of the Guard himself, no doubt sent by her father.

"Loke," the princess said in clipped tones, "what is it that you want?"

The captain smiled a smile that would have likely stopped any fair maiden's heart. Lucy simply rolled her eyes, ignoring the young captain's coquettish demeanor and crossed her arms. She had met many young men who often leered at her like that; their eyes scandalously traveling lower than what was deemed appropriate. It was a gaze she was very familiar with indeed. The look of unhidden lust.

Loke however meant no harm in the playful way he stared at her. He had only meant to tease her. Even so, it irritated her to no end.

"Pardon me, milady, but the king sent me to have a word with you," he replied smoothly, brushing off her open hostility. Lucy frowned and shook her head.

"Of course he did. Well, let's have it then. I haven't all day. I'm busy you know," the princess quipped. The captain smiled once again and took a step inside the doorway, his fanciful silver captain's armor jangling gently with the simple movement.

"May I inquire as to what you are busy with?"

Lucy's frown deepened, "No, you may not."

Loke chuckled at the princess's response and merely dipped his head. He knew that she wasn't really angry with him. She was simply annoyed by the fact that her father had sent him to do his dirty work.

"Very well milady. I am pleased to inform you that I am to be your new bodyguard. From this point forward, I will accompany you wherever you go, in the explicit interest to protect you of course."

Lucy mentally cursed and turned away from him, closing her eyes. Of course he was. Her father made good on his threat of enforcing another body guard.

"Ah. Is that so, Captain?" she replied surprisingly calmly.

Loke's eyebrow raised a fraction of an inch, "Indeed, milady."

"Well then, when I manage to give you the slip, you will forgive me, right?" she said challengingly, turning around with a defiant gleam in her fiery brown eyes. The ginger captain stared at her stoically for a brief second before grinning from ear to ear, apparently amused by her declaration.

"I apologize milady, but try as you might, you will not escape my eye. That I can assure you."

Before she could come up with a witty retort, the captain tipped his hat in farewell and shut her chamber door behind him after exiting. Lucy stood stock still before walking mechanically to her bed, flopping down, and screaming her frustration into her soft white pillow.

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It was nightfall by the time Lucy woke up to the sound of crickets chirping just outside her open window. The clouds were now gone and in replacement was a bright half-moon, which shone brilliantly in the sky, accompanied by several luminescent stars that twinkled expressively. Lucy rubbed her eyes as she made her way to her antique settee, sitting down on the arm and staring up into the midnight sky.

She loved gazing up that the stars, especially on a clear night such as this. Since it had just recently rained, fresh scents drifted into her room and enveloped her in their curious aromas. The pleasant odor of grass, roses, daisies, heather, dirt, and a hint of palm leaf invaded her nostrils, making her sigh and sooth her calamitous thoughts.

She still fared no better than when she had fallen asleep, although the calming atmosphere did wonders to soothe the pounding headache she had acquired.

_'I must have cried in my sleep. That would explain the headache…'_

Her stomach grumbled in protest, angry that it had been neglected for so long. She laughed, despite her situation, and removed herself from her settee, heading for her chamber door.

_'I may as well go downstairs and get some warm food in my belly. There's no use in moping the rest of the night away.'_

Lucy opened her door gently and peeked outside, examining both sides to see if there were any guards stationed outside. Nothing. Not even a servant.

Breathing a quick sigh of relief, Lucy made her way to the kitchen, tip-toeing downstairs and nearly getting herself spotted by a guard. Even if she had been spotted, it wasn't as if they would tell her to return to her room. She just enjoyed practicing her stealth skills was all.

When she finally reached the kitchen doors, she could hear hearty conversation on the other end. Servants laughed and joked with one another while the head cook – more than likely – prepared dinner for everyone in the palace. Smiling to herself, she pushed open the kitchen doors and confidently strode in. The head cook was the first one to see her.

"Ah, Lady Heartfilia! I was 'a wonderin' when you was goin' to show! I reckon you're 'a 'ere for some food, eh?"

Lucy smiled at her friend, "Greetings Barthow! Yes, I'd like some food please."

Barthow grinned and laughed merrily, "Hey, hey! Don't be so formal now, milady. You needn't be, anyway. Go ahead and seat yourself o'er there with the others and I'll 'ave your food out to you in a moment."

Lucy nodded and headed inside of the servants quarters, making her way to the dining table to await her food. Several of the servants bowed or curtsied a greeting, smiled, and went about their business. Although she was a princess, Lucy made it a point to personally get to know each and every one of the servants that worked at the palace. They were the only people she could ever call "friends", after all, since she was usually confined within the walls of Mercurius.

She sat at the table and waited patiently for her food. She didn't have long, because not a few minutes later, a kitchen maid by the name of Bridgette kindly served her a piping plate of delicious food. As soon as she left, Lucy dove into the tasty meal in a very un-princess-like manner. Scarfing down the food in minutes, she hadn't realized how hungry she had actually been until the first morsel had touched her sensitive tongue.

Giggling, she rose from her spot at the table and brought her plate back to the kitchen, dumping her dishes in the large dish bin. Barthow turned and eyed his superior mischievously.

"Well? Was it to milady's satisfaction?"

Lucy smiled and nodded enthusiastically, "Oh, most definitely, thank you Barthow. It's the best yet!"

His cheeks turned a slight pink and he scratched his nose, obviously pleased with the compliment.

"Shucks Miss Lucy, you're embarrassin' me. Thank you kindly. Now, you go on and run off, y'hear? His majesty wouldn't be too pleased if he discovered you in 'ere."

Lucy nodded and headed for the exit, "Thank you again for the meal, Barthow!"

He waved a goodbye before Lucy slipped through the doors and out toward the main hall once again, sneaking and keeping to the shadows. She didn't want to even think about what her father might do if he discovered her back there. He'd probably lecture her once again, initiating yet another argument and creating an even bigger rift in their relationship-

"Lucy? What are you doing back there?"

Lucy winced and exhaled sharply. _'Father!'_

"Lucy," he said again, approaching her, "I asked you a question."

"Nothing, I was just… searching for something."

His Highness raised a kingly brow, "'Searching for something'? Really now? In the direction of the servant's quarters?"

Lucy rose to her full height, all the defiance she could muster flashing in her eyes. Every single time they spoke with one another, it was as if he deliberately tried to provoke her. She didn't understand it. She _couldn't_.

"And, what of it?" she asked sharply.

The king narrowed his eyes and seemed to use his glare as a sort of sharp weapon as to impale her with, "Lucy, don't use that tone with me. Why were you in the servant's quarters? You know what I said about that. You're a young woman of high social status. You're not supposed to mingle with such… such filth."

Lucy could feel her mouth fall open at her father's words. Did he really just say that?

"How could you be so cold-hearted? For one: they are _not_ filth. Two: those men and women in there have shown me more love than you _ever_ could in a lifetime! Don't preach to me about 'social classes' and who's 'this and that'. You have no _right_!"

Right then and there, Lucy wished she had bitten her tongue the moment she thought of the words. She had never seen her father look so angry before. His face was a brighter red than the inside of a watermelon and it was even turning a light shade of purple.

"'…What right have I', you say? What right? _I am the king of Fiore!_" he bellowed, his voice laced with animosity and venom. Lucy cringed and backed away until her back collided with the wall.

"People like _them_; they have no future. They are forever doomed to remain as servants, for the rest of their pitiful lives. They were born as servants, they will die as servants, and no one will ever be there to mourn or remember them."

Lucy was stunned into silence, her eyes big and wide. Her mind didn't even register that tears were now streaming down her face. Her father continued, ignoring her shock.

"Shall I demonstrate my authority now? Shall I show you just how powerful I truly am, dear daughter? Every single one of those _peasants_, every last one… will be gone by sunrise."

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**GASP! Dun dun DAA! Her father is such a meanie! DX He's turning out quite perfectly, I'd say :) -Diabolical laugh-**

**Ahem. So things are definitely starting to heat up! I'm getting excited... things are turning out splendidly for everyone! **

**Well... aside from the servants. ._. We'll see what happens in the next chapter!**

**Rates and reviews are welcome, duckies! I love you all! :D Cheers!**

**PS:**

**These little things : : : : within the story mean new scene... in case no one caught that! Haha... yeah. Tally-ho!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Fourth chapter already?! I'm on a roll. Hope everyone likes! :D**

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**Disclaimer: Avast! ...I own nothing. v_v**

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**Chapter 4**

It was official. Lucy had strained to hear it, but she could faintly make out the sound of minimal luggage being packed and towed out to the coaches. Of course they would carry it over themselves. No one would help them. The king was to hire a completely new set of staff, and they would all be complete strangers. Those people, out waiting by the fountain to meet their fate, those were _family members_ that were precious to Lucy, people she had grown up with.

Now they were to leave, and she would never see them again. She couldn't think. She couldn't feel anything around her. She couldn't see anything. She felt numb all over, completely oblivious to the world. The only friends she had ever known – since she was just a small girl, and her mother alive and well – were subjected to a life in hell. Once a servant was fired, it was nearly impossible for them to find another job, since their record was now "stained". They wouldn't be able to provide for themselves, nor for their families.

They were going to die, and it was all her fault. She clenched her fists and screamed her agony.

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Nightfall. It used to be such a calming time for her. Now it was nothing but a black void of cold emptiness, swallowing her up like a frigid whirlpool.

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Dawn. She still hadn't slept. Her eyes were still fixated on the empty lawn where her friends had all been. Now it was insulting to even look at, a permanent reminder of that she had done. It left a terrible taste in her mouth. Bitter.

It was only much later when she realized that the bitterness she had tasted was her own blood. She had worried her bottom lip too much.

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Nightfall once again. She didn't even bother looking outside. Loke had come knocking on the door once, asking if she was alright. Of course she was. She was a princess, so she had to be alright. Wasn't that what her father wanted?

Her father.

Her father.

That _man_…

_'I can't do this any longer.'_

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It was just after midnight when Lucy had finished her preparations. Now it was time to set her plan into motion. She had only one chance to accomplish her goal, and that chance had to be taken tonight.

Carefully, Lucy opened her window and stared down at the ground below. It seemed so far away… Thankfully she had enough material to reach the bottom.

Yes. She was planning her escape from this prison she was forced to call "home". She remembered hearing Ainslee, the previous butler, speaking of the harbor in which the ships would dock to deliver goods and merchandise. However, they would only come once a month to Crocus, seeing as how the city was pretty much self-reliant.

Tonight was her only chance of escape. Loke was just outside her chamber door, speaking in hushed whispers with a fellow knight. Lucy took another glance outside her window and took a deep breath, the cold air clearing the fog from her mind and allowing her to see her resolution. She knew what she had to do, and by God she would do it.

Tossing her makeshift rope out of her window, she made sure it was secure before shimmying her way down, trying to make as little noise as possible. When her feet finally touched down on the lush grass below her, she breathed a quiet sigh of relief. She hefted her makeshift bag up higher on her shoulders and pulled the cloak she had on tighter around herself before finally dashing away from Mercurius and its dark and sad halls.

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_'God's teeth… That was too close.'_

Lucy had nearly been caught over three times. The Knights Guard were on high alert tonight. Her father must have known she might try and escape. Luckily, she had already passed the bridge, so she was in the clear there. However, there were still several men that patrolled the streets of Crocus. Every single one of these men would immediately recognize her if they were to spot her.

Keeping her head down, she moved swiftly through the darkened streets, but not so fast as to draw attention. She had spent at least an hour, if not more, crossing the lake and avoiding guards all the same. She had to make up ground if she were to make it to the harbor by the five o'clock hour.

Diving into an alleyway, Lucy broke out into a sprint, running as hard as she could until her lungs screamed in protest, and then some. She had leapt over barrels, shimmied across pipes and stone walls, and avoided vicious alley cats. Twice, she nearly broke a bone trying to jump a stone wall. Lord in heave, they were tall! She came to an skidding halt when she nearly ran out in front of a knight on horseback. Luckily he didn't spot her, so she dove back to the safety of the alleyway to catch her breath and gain her bearings.

The knight was blocking the way to her escape, his horse's rear facing her. The way the knight was slumped in his saddle suggested that he was extremely tired, but that didn't put Lucy's mind at ease. There were only a few hours left until the five o'clock hour!

Suddenly, an idea crossed her mind. Sure it was dangerous and somewhat reckless, but more than likely it would do the job. That and she was running out of time and options. She could already hear birds starting to come out of their nests.

Moving forward quietly, Lucy focused all her skill in stealth in that very moment. Even her breathing had become hushed. If she was caught, then it was all over for her.

Slowly, she rose to her feet and positioned her palm high above the horse's gluteus, and in one swift motion, she brought her hand swinging down atop the horse's ass, slapping him hard and startling the poor creature. The four legged beast shrieked out a whinny and bucked sharply, smashing its rear legs into Lucy's body and driving the air out of her lungs.

She was sent flying backward, but she was rewarded with the desired effect she had aimed for. The horse took off, its startled master shouting angry commands at it until they were both gone.

Lucy groaned as she slowly but surely regained her breath. Lifting herself to her feet shakily, she wobbled out back onto the road.

'_There is no time to stop and rest. Loke will have more than likely already gone to check up on me. And when he discovers that I am gone…'_

There was a loud horn that sounded in the direction of the palace, a horn that Lucy was all too familiar with.

The hunt for the princess had begun once more.

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Every tavern – no matter how respectable the city or town – was a sanctuary for scallywags and troublemaking men who only had three things on their mind: alcohol, the open seas, and women. Whoever was seen in a such a place was immediately marked a miscreant who was more than likely up to no good. Knights were constantly on watch – if the tavern was located within a capital – making sure that no bar fights would erupt and cause trouble for passerbys.

Crocus's tavern was no exception. In fact, it may have been one of the worst in all of Earth Land.

However, taverns also happened to be the best places to go if you were looking for a smuggler or you needed… information.

Inside, people shouted jovially while lutes and gambas were played by passionate musicians. Denizens sitting at tables laughed and slapped one another's backs, spilling ale or rum or what have you all over themselves in their drunken stupor.

Sitting in a dark corner, away from the raucous hustling, were a group of weather-worn men that had a particular hardened look about them. Two of the three men spoke in quiet tones, keeping to themselves and ignoring others who tried to join them and glaring right back at those who shot them dirty looks.

Another one of these weather-worn men, who looked as if though he were a sailor, walked through the tavern doors and approached the table.

"Captain," the man said after coming to a halt in front of the table, "the men are all ready and are now awaiting your orders."

The man who had been quiet, listening to his subordinates speak, looked up from his mug and nodded, his beard moving with the motion.

"Aye. Tell them we leave in ten."

The man gave a curt nod, "Aye sir."

He spun around at that and walked briskly back the way he had come, leaving the tavern and avoiding eye contact with anyone who might have been watching.

The captain took another drink of his mug and sighed as the hearty liquid tickled the back of his throat in a pleasant way. His companion that sat to his right glanced at him through the corner of his eye.

"Did you find what you were lookin' for?"

The captain's dark eyes lifted once again he shook his head, "Nay. Those bastards have the memory of a fish, if not worse."

His other companion chuckled and shook his head, "Didn't I tell you? 'Tis Crocus after all."

The captain waved his hand as if brushing off the comment, "Shut yer trap. I knew what I was doin'."

Taking one last gulp from his mug, he slammed it back down and made an unnecessarily loud noise in the back of his throat, signaling his satisfaction.

"Well lads, shall we shove off then? We needn't dawdle any longer."

Both companions grunted their agreement and slid out of the booth, leaving their cups for the waitress. The captain tossed a small pigskin bag on the table as payment and led the way to the door, but as soon as the captain opened the door, a cloaked figure slammed into him causing him to grunt in surprise.

The person's hood fell back to reveal a very dirty young woman, whose ratty blonde hair – completely caked in mud – fell about her face in a messy downpour. She gasped and flailed her arms about before falling hard onto her backside. She groaned and squeezed her eyes shut, obviously in a lot of pain, and tried to get her feet back underneath her… to no avail.

The captain reached down and grasped her thin bicep firmly, pulling her up to her feet easily.

"Ye should watch where ye be goin' lass. 'Specially 'round these parts. 'Tis no place for a young lady, such as yerself," the captain said.

The girl looked up at him and her eyes widened with poorly hidden surprise and mild irritation.

"Thank you, for helping me to my feet sir. But I know what I'm doing. Actually, perhaps you could help me?"

She spoke politely enough, but her articulation was someone of high class, the captain could tell. That meant trouble for him.

"Oh, I doubt that highly, young lady. 'Round 'ere is not me roots. If 'tis directions ye seek, ye would fare better speakin' to a rock."

The girl raised a quizzical brow and after a moment shook her head, "No, that's… that's not what I was planning on asking. I was wondering if you might know a sea merchant who would be willing to cart a passenger. Judging from your… appearance, you look as if though you travel by sea often…?"

The captain's companions chuckled quietly amongst themselves, now standing a respectable distance away from the two. The captain covertly grinned and stroked his black beard, feigning deep thought.

"Aye, I reckon so… Aye, I know of the merchants that be docking 'round. But ye should know, since ye obviously know what ye be doin', that they long been shoved off," he spoke sarcastically, eyeing her carefully all the while.

Her eyes widened again, and she looked as if though she swallowed a dung beetle.

"A-Are you sure?! What hour is it, do you know?!"

"Aye. 'Tis nearly half past the sixth hour in the mornin'," he said, checking his rusty pocket watch. Suddenly a group of soldiers bustled by, grumbling to one another all the while. It appeared they were looking for something… or someone.

This girl wanted to leave the city, eh? Something smelled fishy to the grungy captain… and it wasn't his upper lip.

She pulled her hood back over her head and wiped her eyes in the process, sniffling as she did so. She was either crying, or she had somehow caught a cold, him guessing it was the former. Her face had become ghostly pale and her movements were stiff.

"I-I see… Thank you sir, for your help."

With that, she began to walk off, back toward wherever she had come from. The captain felt a twinge of pity for the girl and sighed, shaking his head.

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**...**

**This is gettin' intense.**

**Rates and reviews are welcome duckies. I hope everyone has enjoyed that last chapter and is now looking forward to the next. A bientot! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello once again, Audience! I am so thrilled that there have actually been people who enjoy this story! Really, I cannot convey to you my feelings toward such matters... and I got a couple reviews as well?! What! Here is another chapter for such incredibility. :) I hope you all enjoy!**

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**Disclaimer: Hiro Mash is the man... I, sadly, own nothing. ._.**

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**Chapter 5**

Lucy hung her head, her spirits completely shattered. She had been forced to take a quick rest, as it appeared the damage done unto her by the horse had been more severe than originally thought, but it appeared she had lingered for too long. Now she had missed her chance of escape.

Squeezing her eyes tightly shut, she rubbed her face and tried to expel the dark thoughts that were invading her mind. She couldn't go back. There was nothing left for her there. She couldn't…

"Wait! Wait," the man shouted, calling her back.

Lucy rigidly turned around as he jogged up to her, his boot clad feet kicking up dirt in his wake. Although he smelled terrible, seemed a scoundrel, and was dressed in filthy clothing, she forced a hard smile to her face.

He eyed her suspiciously and folded his arms across his broad chest as soon as he stopped in front of her. He glanced up over her head when yet another group of soldiers bustled by.

"Why is it you want to leave this place, young lady?" he asked, still staring at the soldiers behind her. She was a statue, not daring on even speaking.

"Breathe," the man in front of her commanded. "I'm not sure what kind of trouble ye be in with dem soldiers, but I reckon I can't let a little lass such as yerself be subjected to their torture now, eh?"

Lucy inhaled a jagged breath as she tried to register what exactly this man was saying. Was he offering her safe passage?

"What… What exactly are you saying, sir?"

The man sighed, his head tilting as he spoke in a hushed whisper, "I'll put it to you straight: if you're coin, I'll let you aboard my ship and you can travel with my crew and I. If not… well, let's just hope you're of coin."

Lucy looked taken aback, stunned by his sudden change of speech. There was definitely more to this man that what the eye could see.

"Um… When you say 'of coin', does that mean…?"

He looked impatiently over her head again at the soldiers behind her and narrowed his eyes a second later.

"Aye, aye. Money, bonnie lass. Now, are ye of coin or not? I 'aven't all day and by the looks of yer friend approachin', neither do ye."

Lucy stiffened again and heard tell-tell signs of a knight approaching by the clanking of armor.

"Y-Yes, I'm of coin!"

"Good."

With that, he grabbed her wrist and turned around quickly, tugging her behind him. She winced as the pain in her ribcage intensified, her bones screeching their discomfort.

"Halt! You, bearded one and your companion!"

Lucy gasped but didn't dare turn back around. The man tugging her along chuckled and sighed.

"Look 'ere," he muttered, "Ye remember those two bloaks that were standing nearby when ye bustled right into me?" Before Lucy could say anything, he went on, "Well, they be straight ahead down the pier there. Run along now and tell them I says to 'shove off', eh? I'll be takin' care of yer little friends 'ere."

He shoved Lucy ahead of him and turned around to the face the knight, his fellow squad members quickly joining him. As soon as she seen her savior draw a concealed sword from the coat he was wearing, she turned around and scrambled down the pier as fast as her body would allow her.

She could hear the men shouting, shortly followed by the clashing of sword on sword. Her heart raced and as soon as she reached the two men, she shouted breathlessly, "H-He said… He said to… He said to _go_!"

The two of them looked at each other in mild amusement before the dark-haired one gestured with his hand down the pier.

"Aye. Right this way then, fair maiden. Vastia, go ahead and alert the crew. The Cap'n is gettin' 'imself a bit 'o exercise."

The other male, whose hair seemed a ridiculously light shade of blue (almost white) of all colors, glared at the other.

"Bastard. Don't think you can order me about, just because there's a girl here!"

The raven turned around and glared at the one called Vastia, "I'm your commanding officer, dumbass! That gives me every right to order you about, girl or not!"

"A shorty like you shouldn't be allowed to give orders."

"Sh-Shorty?! Who're you callin' a shorty, old man?!"

"Who're you calling a geezer?!"

Lucy sighed as the duo butted heads, impatiently tapping her foot. She jumped at the sound of gunfire behind her and turned around quickly, as did the other two males who seemed to immediately forget about their verbal battle.

"Vastia."

"Right."

Then suddenly, Lucy felt herself being dragged backward and she yelped out in surprise.

"Excuse me! What in heaven's name are-" she managed to twist around just enough to see that it was the dark-haired man who had a hold of her by her cloak.

He didn't look at her as he kept moving and his face was stoic as he said, "Don't worry your pretty little head, milady. We'll see to it that you get aboard the ship nice and quick-like, First Class."

After a good few yards, with Lucy still being dragged, the raven released and righted her. The princess rubbed her neck and glared daggers at him, but he simply grinned and gestured in front of him.

"Welcome to the _FairyTail_. You won't find a faster ship in all of Earth Land; that I assure you."

When Lucy finally caught a glimpse of the ship she was to sail upon, she gaped. It was the biggest ship she had ever laid eyes on, obviously being a warship. How they had acquired it, she could only guess.

The hull was a glossy brown and had red lining along the bow and stern. All three masts were of the same color as the hull, and the multiple sails were white. It had to be over one-hundred fifty feet tall. Men scurried about on the main deck, un-tying ropes and casting the numerous white sails down, preparing to "shove off" as her black bearded savior had put it.

She had no time to gawk at the ship's magnificence however. The enormous anchor was steadily lifting and her dark-haired companion quickly ushered her toward a ramp that would allow them to board. Turning toward the raven, she asked, "What about your captain?"

He shook his head, "The Cap'n can take care of 'imself, milady."

Before he could say anything more, the black bearded man himself charged up the ramp and stopped beside them, slightly winded.

"Why in blazes are ye two still blunderin' about? The ship 'as nearly left!" he growled, jerking his head in the direction of the _FairyTail_.

The raven male grinned at his captain, exposing surprisingly white teeth, "Just waitin' on you, Cap."

The other male grinned back and in the next instant, he was securely fastening his arm around Lucy's waist and throwing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"I-I beg your pardon!?" she shouted embarrassedly, kicking out and slapping his back. Thankfully the dress she was wearing – which was completely filthy – was long enough to allow no light to bear on some rather private areas.

The captain looked over his shoulder at her, a bored expression on his dirty face, "We need to board the ship and you won't be able to make that jump now."

Indeed, there was now a wide gap between the ship and the dock. The only thing between the two was the frigid water below, and it wasn't exactly a short drop. That still didn't discourage Lucy from shouting and writhing in the captain's arms, but he calmly ignored her and turned back toward his dark-haired shipmate.

"After you," he said, gesturing toward the ship.

"Ladies first," the other replied, a smug grin on his face. The former glared at him, but had a playful smirk of his own on his face.

Facing the ship once again, he ran with surprising speed toward the hull and leapt to the safety of the deck, his booted feet making slight skidding sounds on the sleek surface. His shipmate quickly joined him on the other side and briskly made his way toward the back of the ship, gliding up a set of stairs that led up to a raised platform.

From Lucy's vantage point atop the captain's shoulder, she could see a large wheel now in the hands of the raven. He was turning it clockwise and barking orders to all the men. It all went over Lucy's head though; she had no idea how a ship operated.

Suddenly, the captain pulled her off of his shoulder and set her down on her feet, for which she was thankful. The pain in her abdomen had increased ten-fold and she was now gasping for air. The captain noticed and stared at her warily.

"Methinks ye got a wound that needs a fixin', lass. Should I take ye to the onboard surgeon? He'd fix you up; right as rain ye would be."

Lucy shook her head and sighed as the pain slowly started to fade, only leaving a dull throbbing sensation in its wake.

"No, no, I'll be fine. I just… need some rest is all," she quickly lied. She definitely didn't want a stranger, a man no less, to see any part of her exposed body. He was probably just as filthy as the rest of the crew aboard the ship, not to mention the captain himself. Of which, he was currently staring at her, an unreadable expression on his face.

The uncomfortable silence was broken when the raven-haired man shouted, "Captain! It looks like your new friends have friends of their own."

The captain looked up at his shipmate and strode over to the left side of the ship, glancing over the side. Lucy peeked over the side as well and was shocked to see several guards all aiming guns at the _FairyTail_ and its captain.

"It appears so, Mr. Fullbuster," the captain replied calmly while he kept smirking at the men below, his hands folded behind his back, "Shall we give 'em the slip?"

The raven grinned and barked another stream of orders at the several men running about the deck. The captain ran to over to Lucy when the guards opened fire, the barrels of their guns smoking as the gunpowder erupted from their mouths.

"This is no place for ye, lass," the captain said gruffly. Grabbing her arm, he led her over to a set of doors that were just below the raised platform of which Mr. Fullbuster was standing on while steering the ship. Opening the wooden doors in one sharp tug, he walked inside while pulling her in after him.

The interior was completely dark and Lucy couldn't see a thing. It was warm though, compared to the cold sea-air that was outside, so that brought her a bit of comfort. However, as soon as she felt the hands of the captain on her shoulders, she froze and backed away from him.

"W-What do you think you are doing, sir?" she asked shakily. Her head was spinning now, unsure of what was happening, and she stumbled even farther into the room in a means to escape from the bearded stranger.

Even though he had given her passage on his ship, it didn't mean she would allow him to take advantage of her! And it certainly didn't mean she would trust him either.

She was startled when he suddenly lit an oil lamp which illuminated nearly half of the room. He chuckled and turned to his right, lighting yet another oil lamp that was hanging by another wooden door. The combined light from the lamps provided enough illumination to allow Lucy to realize that she was in a very large – seemingly windowless – room. The captain moved toward a big circular table, which was littered with various maps, books, scrolls, and other foreign curious, lighting two more candles.

Pointing toward the wooden door Lucy had made note of previously, he said, "Inside is a washtub and a John. You'll find, to your surprise I'm sure, that it's quite clean despite all appearances. Over here," he continued, passing her and moving toward a large cot she hadn't notice before, "is where you can sleep. It's not as comfortable as what I'm sure you're probably used to, but it beats sleeping on cold wooden floors, I reckon."

Lucy could feel herself breathing shallowly, confused yet again with his sudden change of speech. His articulation was much more eloquent, yet not quite gentlemanly, but it was still something to ponder over. She meant no offence of course, but how did a dirty old man such as he know how to speak in such a manner? He didn't seem that well educated… but Lucy knew better than to judge a book by its cover.

She forced a smile on her face and curtsied her appreciation, "Thank you kindly, sir. And… forgive me. I didn't mean to shout-"

He waved his hand in the air and made his way back toward the double doors they had originally entered through. Lucy only just realized that she could no longer hear the resonating sound of gunfire.

"Don't worry about it; there's been no offence taken. If you decide to sleep, I would recommend bathing first. I prefer to keep my cot in a somewhat decent state, if you don't mind."

He grinned over his shoulder at her, the lamplight dancing mischievously in his dark eyes. She felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment when the thought of how filthy she must have appeared suddenly came to mind.

"Y-Yes, I'll do that. Thank you."

Nodding his appreciation, he opened the double doors once again and slipped outside, leaving her alone to her thoughts. Glancing down at herself, she made a sound of disgust in the back of her throat when she saw just how horrible her appearance actually was. Mud had completely covered her cloak and dress, and her skin hadn't fared much better.

Yes, she was in desperate need of a bath. Hesitantly, she walked over to the single wooden door and peeked inside. The captain had been right; she was astonished to see that is was indeed quite clean despite all circumstances. Smiling, she gingerly unhooked the bag she was wearing and set it aside, closing the door behind her. The bathroom was small, but it was definitely clean and well-kept.

Carefully, as to avoid injuring herself further, she removed her clothing and rolled the garments up, setting them inside of the sink to her left.

_'I'll wash those later.'_

Now completely in the nude, and still completely filthy, she shuffled over to the silver tub and turned the faucet, letting the hot water run over her dirty hands. It felt heavenly.

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After about two hours of determined scrubbing, Lucy was finally clean. And now that her body was no longer caked in filth, she was able to better examine the wounds that had been inflicted upon her by the horse. She balked when she discovered that her entire abdomen was littered with black and blue bruises, making her flat belly resemble a rotten blueberry.

She sighed and gently pulled a nightgown over her head, allowing the silky fabric to caress her injured torso and fall about her in a soft tumble, until it stopped just below her kneecaps. With the towel she had found in the bathroom cabinet, she lightly ran it through her hair to rid it of any stray droplets of water. Now her blonde strands shone proudly in the dim lighting the main room provided.

Draping the towel over a wooden chair, Lucy made her way toward the cot and inspected it. It looked harmless enough, even though it belonged to the captain. She poked the white sheet that lay ruffled upon it with a single digit, jerking away and yelping out in surprise when something popped out from underneath. She _knew_ there was something terribly awful lurking about under there-!

...

It was a cat. And not just any cat, but a _blue_ cat, with a white chest and belly. The tip of his tail was white as well. What in God's name? Really? A _blue_ cat? It looked up at her with sleepy eyes and accompanied by a yawn, arched it's back and stretched, it's little legs trembling with the effort.

Lucy's heart melted at once. She was a sucker for all things cute and small and this little kitty was no exception, even if it had indeed scared her at first, albeit it was unintentional.

She smiled and bent down toward the cat, holding out a hand, "Hello there, little kitty. My name is Lucy. What do they call you?"

She rubbed the cat's neck and giggled when it started to purr and lean into her touch. It almost looked as if it were smiling, which was somewhat creepy, but Lucy quickly brushed it off. This little feline was too cute.

She laughed again and picked it up, noting that it was boy, and continued rubbing his neck as she lowered herself on the cot. To her surprise, it was actually quite comfortable. The crisp white sheet felt good against her soft skin and a contented sigh escaped her lips. She lay back and rested her head on the soft feather pillow, curling up in a ball and pulling the sheet over her body when she noticed how tired she really was.

The soft creaking sound of the ship rocking about on the waves of the sea calmed her nerves and allowed her body to relax. The cat she had been holding curled up in a likewise ball against her legs and fell back asleep, still purring.

Lucy smiled and took a deep breath, inadvertently smelling the air. The scents that wafted about her were surprisingly pleasant: parchment paper, ink, wax, the scent of fresh sheets, feathered pillows… something spicy too. Unfamiliar.

Inhaling more to identify the heady scent, Lucy turned her face into the pillow more. Yes… the smell was especially intense there. But her head was so foggy, she could barely think straight. She faintly identified that there were a combination of smells mixed with the spice… sea-water, the smell of sunlight… the rest, Lucy didn't know. She was too tired to try and figure it out. It did serve as an amiable tranquilizer though.

The smells around her, added with the lulling rock of the ship, made her close her tired eyes and slump further into the cot. Finally she drifted into a deep sleep where she dreamt of a princess who had been locked in a tower, but was rescued by a valiant dragon who burned the tower down with a single blast of his hellfire flame.

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Quietly slipping through the door, the captain made his way through his quarters, chuckling when his eyes landed on the sleeping figure in his cot. The girl had fallen asleep while clutching his pillow tightly to her bosom, a contented look on her face. Now that it was free of mud, he was free to look upon her face without hindrance... and he could clearly see that she was incredibly beautiful. That could only mean two things for him. One: she either worked for a group of rather favorable and scandalous women, or two: she was some sort of aristocrat or person of noble birth, high up on the social ladder.

If the latter were the case… it would be very bad for him, indeed. He winced as she moaned softly in her sleep and twisted about in the white sheets, mumbling something about dragons or some other such garbled nonsense.

He chuckled again and made his way to the water closet, opening the door gently and praying that she would not wake once he turned the faucet for the tub water. The hot water roared to life as soon as he turned the knob and he cursed silently. Poking his head outside, he saw that she was still soundly asleep. Good.

He shut the door and peered into the mirror that hung just above the sink. Yes, he was indeed filthy and reminiscent of a hardened scoundrel who would have loved to have done nothing more than sit inside of a tavern all day and drink to his heart's content. His dark beard and long ratty black hair was unkempt and greasy, driving away anyone who may have been keen on getting too close. Yes, the beard was itchy and his hair impossible to manage, but it was enjoyable to wear...

…However, they were beginning to smell. Badly.

The captain lifted his right hand and felt around the right side of his jaw line, brushing his fingers along the bone until he felt the end of the rough hairs and touched smooth skin. Carefully, he grasped the edge of his beard and pulled, ignoring the slight sting as the material covering his face gave way. With one final tug, the beard was off… and now exposed a smooth, clean-shaven face. The captain grinned at his reflection and removed his hat and bandana duo as well, his black hair coming clean off with the movement to reveal an impossible hair color, spiked in every direction and defying the law of gravity.

If anyone had seen him with such hair, they would have immediately known his true identity. If the girl just outside of the bathroom were to see him now, it wouldn't have mattered if she knew who he was or not. She was aboard his ship now and there was nothing she could do, even if she were of noble birth.

_'Aye. If the crew knows, then I suppose it's fine if she knows too,'_ he decided.

Nodding to himself and turning back to face the tub, he shut off the hot water valve and stripped off his ratty pirate clothes, making a mental note to have both the girl's and his own garments washed. He poked a foot inside the scorching hot water and smiled at the tingling feeling. Tossing in the other leg as well and finally submerging his entire body in the steaming liquid, he proceeded to wash his grime covered body.

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**:O?! Who in the world _is_ this mysterious man?! **

**Hehe... you'll find out in the next chapter, I promise! ;)**

**Rates and reviews are welcome, duckies. I love you all! Sayonara, imanotokoro! :D**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello again Audience! **

**Oh. My. Gosh.**

**You guys are the freaking best. I CANNOT believe how many people are actually enjoying this story so far. Thank you ALL for such kind words and positive thoughts! I love you all my duckies, and I reward thee with another chapter :') Happy reading; I hope you enjoy! ^_^**

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**Disclaimer: Hiro Mash guys... ugh. Such a genius, that man. I own nothing! ...But the plotline. :)**

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**Chapter 6**

When Lucy had awakened, she was startled to find that there was no sunlight pouring in through her windows. It was pitch black, void of any light whatsoever. Her bed felt rather strange as well; not as comfortable as it should have been. Everything felt strange, now that she thought about it…

_'Wait a moment,'_ she thought when realization struck her, _'I'm on a ship!'_

With the vessel rocking rhythmically, she kicked her legs off the end of the cot she remembered she had fallen asleep in and felt her way toward the table to retrieve some matches. Fumbling around in the dark definitely wasn't safe, especially since she had no idea what might have been lying about in such unfamiliar quarters.

When her fingers finally hit the box, she quickly struck a match and made her way toward the oil lamp that hung near the washroom door. Lighting it and turning the knob so it would display its maximum brightness, she opened the door to the bathroom to grab her bag so she could change into a new set of clothes.

The scene inside however, mildly shocked her. For one… her cloak and dress were now gone. Two… it appeared as if though someone had had a serious battle with a shaver recently. And three… Her bag sat neatly atop the cabinet counter.

In those few seconds, she realized the captain must have come inside while she had been sleeping and more than likely snooped about in her bag to steal her money.

_'Or took a much needed bath,'_ the rational side of her thought as her fingers brushed against her money purse. Right. Of course, that could've also happened. She cringed as the horrid image of a hairy and middle-aged man stripping his clothes off invaded her mind. She involuntarily imagined him as fat, greasy and wrinkly and squealed as she mentally saw some rather unscrupulous unmentionable areas.

Grabbing her bag quickly, she whipped around and slammed the washroom door shut. She struggled to take air into her lungs and placed a hand over her pounding heart. What in the world had come over her, thinking such indecent things?! It wasn't as if she had meant to… _definitely_ not.

She wrinkled her nose and slumped against the door. The ship and its crew were already starting to get to her. Lovely.

Sighing, she pushed herself off of the door and dug around in her bag. Pulling out a blue and white tunic, white boy's trousers and a pair of black knee-high boots, she threw them on quickly, trying to ignore the dull ache in her abdomen.

Sleep had definitely helped with the pain, but it hadn't rid her of the pain the infliction caused completely. With one last tug of her boot, she headed for the double doors and pushed them open.

It was a dark and completely starless night, barren of moonlight as well. Clouds hung heavy in the midnight sky and Lucy could smell the imminent rain in the air. Several oil lamps illuminated the main deck and shone on the faces of crewman who relaxed and laughed with one another. A large group around the first mast surrounded a fellow shipmate who was plucking the strings of a lute that was obviously out of tune. A small smile formed on Lucy's lips when the light-haired man she recognized from earlier shouted out, "Between the way you sing and the sound of that damned lute, it's a wonder our ears aren't bleeding yet, Sting."

The man who had been playing, also whom Lucy couldn't see, stopped playing at once and growled back at Vastia, "I'd like to see you try, you old badger!"

Immediately following that statement, a brawl broke out and the group was fighting amongst themselves, although playfully. Lucy shook her head and released a light giggle, earning stares from nearby crewmembers. Feeling the heat rise to her cheeks, she made her way toward the stairs that led to the upper platform where Mr. Fullbuster had been, steering the ship.

He was still standing there, with his hands on the wheel, but he was turned toward the strangest man Lucy had ever laid eyes on.

It wasn't the fact that his hair seemed to defy the law of gravity, oh no. It was the fact that his hair… was a bright shade of _pink._

His toned chest and abdomen were laid out completely bare for everyone to see, due to the fact that he was only wearing a black sleeveless vest, which was accompanied by a pair of white trousers and black boots. Around his waist, he wore a belt that donned a pair of pistols, and strapped across his chest was an even thicker belt that supported a sword on his left hip.

Lucy couldn't believe her eyes. This man's hair… was pink. _Pink_, of all colors. Despite this though, he was admittedly very handsome, with big and dark expressive eyes, tanned skin, and his exposed biceps were quite muscular.

He matched Mr. Fullbuster evenly in height as well, who was nearly a head taller than she was. The strange man folded his lean arms across his chest and frowned, still speaking to his companion, but caught Lucy's eye and immediately smiled.

His face expressed warmth and she could tell, even from this distance, that he was quite young. She could feel her cheeks heating up when she realized that she had been staring at him, her mouth wide open, like an idiot. Mr. Fullbuster turned around at his companion's sudden laugh and eyed Lucy as well.

To her surprise, his appearance had changed significantly. He no longer had any dirt on his face, and she finally noticed that he no longer wore the filthy rags he had previously been wearing when she had first met him. In fact, he looked rather gentlemanly. Well, as gentlemanly as a man could get in his profession.

He grinned and beckoned her over with a wave of his hand. She smiled back and hesitantly walked over, avoiding eye contact with the strange pink-haired man.

"Mr. Fullbuster, nice to see you again," Lucy greeted kindly.

He chuckled, "It's nice to see you too, milady. I must say, you look quite different without all that mud plastered on your face."

Lucy blushed and looked away, rubbing her arm in embarrassment, "Yes… I'm sorry you had to bear witness to such a thing."

"Don't worry, we can handle it. In fact, most of the women Gray here's seen have been rather hairy… and toothless," the pink-haired man suddenly spoke up.

Lucy's eyes shot up to his face when she instantly recognized his voice. _'No way… It can't be-!'_

Mr. Fullbuster, or Gray, glared at his pink-haired shipmate, "Shut up, you bastard." Turning toward Lucy, Gray said, "Don't listen to the Cap'n, milady. Overcome by jealousy, he is."

Lucy's eyes widened as her suspicions were confirmed.

"_You're_ the _captain_?!" she suddenly burst out, startling both men who had been glaring playfully at one another. They now stared wide-eyed at her, with the captain tilting his head somewhat to the side.

"Aye…? That I am, milady," the pinkette replied, rubbing the back of his neck. Lucy was utterly dumbfounded. How in the world could this man be the _captain_? The captain was old, greasy, fat, _completely_ hairy, and not to mention… she shuddered. Ugh. _Wrinkly. _Please go way mental images…

But this man, standing before her now? He was anything _but_ old and greasy. Not a hint of sweat or grime shone on his smooth and handsome face, nor was a wrinkle in sight. He was also clean-shaven and although his hair was wild and spiked in every direction, it was somehow a perfect fit for the way he carried himself. Confidence emanated from his very being; the way he stood proudly - with his back straight and his hands tucked behind - made it seem like he had complete trust in himself and his abilities as captain of the vessel. She didn't doubt it.

And staring at his sculpted muscles, on his chest and his abdomen… he, by all means, was _not_ fat.

Again, she hadn't realized she had been staring until the captain cleared his throat, causing her eyes to flit back up to his warm obsidian eyes. He was grinning.

"Do you like what you see, little lady?"

She blushed madly and backed away from him, turning away. Her hands came up to her face to cool them as she tried to get a hold of herself. _'Calm down, Lucy! What is the matter with you?'_

Gray laughed and turned back to his captain, jerking his head in the direction of the group of seaman that were brawling by the front mast.

"Would it be alright if I went and joined them, Cap'n? I reckon you have a bit of explaining to do, and such things should be done in private wouldn't you say?"

The other chuckled and nodded, his hands replacing Gray's on the wheel, "Aye, Mr. Fullbuster, that you may. Maybe you can break them up too, eh?"

Gray paused a second before he nodded, heading down the stairs, "Aye aye, sir." He then shouted at his shipmate's rowdy behavior, calming them down once again and re-forging their broken circle. Lucy saw him grasp Vastia's forearm in greeting before she lost sight of him within the crowd.

Turning back to the captain, after calming down, she approached him once more, ignoring the strange feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Um, Captain…?"

His eyes had returned to the sea, examining the waters for any sign of trouble, until Lucy called his title. Turning his head to face her, he gave her an easy smile.

"What is it?"

She held her breath, unsure of how to continue. She somehow always knew what to say, but for once, she was coming up short for words. Why was she hesitating on speaking to him?

"Breathe," he commanded, reminding her of before when he had saved her. She automatically inhaled and allowed a small smile to grace her lips.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"No, for earlier," she corrected, with a shake of her head.

He cocked his own head, one eyebrow slanting down in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"I mean: thank you for saving me from those knights and allowing my safe passage on your ship. It's a lovely vessel. _FairyTail_, was it?" she asked politely.

He smiled again and returned his gaze to the sea, "Aye, her name is _FairyTail_. And you're welcome. It's not every day a lady, such as you, bustles into such an unsavory character, such as me." He chuckled at that.

Lucy released a breathy laugh and smiled, casting her eyes to the wooden deck beneath her, "Yes… I apologize for that. It's just that... I wasn't keen on staying in Crocus any longer."

After a few moments of silence, her eyes were finally drawn back to the captain, curious as to why he was so quiet. She saw that his smile had now faded and was now replaced with a frown. Slowly, he said, "You don't have to answer of course, but why is that? Crocus is a renowned city, recognized by sailors all over the world for their tasty ales and good food."

She frowned as well and turned away again, joining in his examination of the sea. If she told him the truth, would he take her back? She hardly knew this man, but from what she _did_ know… she doubted it. However, she wasn't willing to take that chance.

'_No… I mustn't tell him. Not yet anyway.'_

"…It's a long story," she replied carefully, "I'm obviously not a sailor, as I'm sure you've already guessed."

He grinned and nodded, "Aye, I have."

"And I'm definitely not used to anything… outdoors," she hinted further.

"Aye," he replied, this time staring at her, his face completely serious, "So that can only mean two things: you are either a servant or slave, which is ruled out because of your skill with speech, and your appearance of course," she blushed as he gestured toward her, "Or you are of noble birth," he finished, still watching her, his dark eyes never leaving hers.

She swallowed, realizing that her previous hunch about this man had been correct: there was definitely more to him that what the eye allowed. He was intelligent enough to know that she herself had been well educated, thanks to her father. But this man too, spoke in a way that only well educated men and women would, which brought a question to her mind.

"That reminds me, Captain. Why is it that you spoke to me in such a strange way when we first met? You spoke like that of a man who had never even _seen_ a textbook, much less read out of one. Yet you could nearly pass for a gentleman, with the way you speak sometimes."

Immediately he became guarded, his eyes turning to stone and his lips thinning. Nonetheless, he smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Aye. And the fact that you noticed that only confirms my theories: you _are_ of noble birth. Probably the princess herself."

She winced. _'Effectively turning the attention back to me… and my secret. Impressive.'_

He had only been joking, with the way he had said it with a short laugh, but it still caused her to visibly cringe which the sharp captain took notice of. His eyes widened marginally.

"You… You aren't, are you?"

'_Splendid. Now he knows my identity.'_ She closed her eyes, ready for the accusations to fly. If he were to turn the ship around, she wouldn't go back without a fight. Although, she wouldn't stand a chance. This man knew how to use a sword; she did not. And he must have been skilled with it as well if he had been confident enough to take on a whole squad of Crocus knights alone.

She could run, but where to? There was nowhere to go, even if the ship was indeed massive in size. Lucy felt her heart sink into the depths of her stomach.

_'This is it...'_

Suddenly he laughed, throwing back his head, his shoulders shaking with how hard the sound resonated from his body.

"Only kidding. Of course you're not the princess. Princess's are stuffy, dim-witted, and they hardly ever smile. You though…" he grinned at her, his teeth gleaming white in the dim light the oil lamps provided, "You have a beautiful smile, milady. And you're smart, which should prove you aren't a princess at all. So that leaves me clueless."

He frowned and scratched his chin in thought, turning to face the water once more. Lucy sighed and smiled weakly. Was he serious, or was he pretending so she would feel at ease? The former would make more sense, but it wouldn't fit with how intelligent he was. But if it was the latter, why would he do that for her, a complete stranger? The thoughts made Lucy's head swim.

"By the way, my name is Natsu. Natsu Dragneel." He released his hold on the wheel of the ship with his left hand and held it out to her in greeting.

Dragneel, was it? Something about that name tickled the back of her brain, as if she had heard it before… but she was sure she had never met such a man in all her life. If not his face, then she would have definitely remembered his hair.

She cocked her head to the side in curiosity, before taking his calloused hand in her own soft one. It was big and warm, and felt... nice? She could feel her cheeks turning pink at the thought, but she didn't care at the moment.

"My name is… Lucy. Lucy… Ashley. Nice to officially meet you, Captain Natsu of _FairyTail_.

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**Yay! So it has been revealed. Gray and Natsu?! Woot woot! **

**What did you all think? ;D Yes, Natsu's character is much more mature in here, but I wanted to shake things up a bit. I've read so many stories where he's been portrayed as a complete nimrod, so I wanted to do something a little different. Don't worry though! It's still early in the story and Natsu's character is still in the process of evolution.**

**Also, I know it's a little strange that Gray is acting so calmly with him. Indeed, it's strange for me to, but like I said! I wanted to try something new. ^_^ The two are still rivals though and may surprise you yet!**

**Pop Quiz!**

**Do any of you know who Vastia is? :o**

**Answer!**

**Lyon Vastia of course~! ^_^**

**More characters will make an appearance in the next chapter. For now though, leave a review if you'd be so kind! Bye for now! ;)**

**PPS: Oh! One more thing: Do any of you have a preference of which characters you'd like to see? If so, leave a comment about it! Thanks! :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello once again, Audience!**

**My goodness! I'm so freakin' excited I could simply DIE! :D I've received sooo many different and positive remarks regarding this story, and I just want to thank you all! Sorry for the slow upload! I've been sick all day, so my mind was all foggy and I couldn't think straight. Shout out to my newest friend who I regarded as such as soon as she left such an awesome review! (You should know who you are! ;]) I hope you all enjoy this next chapter! Cheers!**

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**Disclaimer: ...We've been over this... I own nothing. I could only wish :'(**

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**Chapter 7**

By the end of the night, Lucy had come to the conclusion that Natsu was a decent man. She had learned a lot about him while they talked on what she now knew as the bridge. It was the part of the ship where the steering was conducted by either the quartermaster, who she also now knew was Gray Fullbuster, or the captain, which was Natsu himself.

As they had conversed about his crew and ship parts and the like, a strange and tall muscular man with tan skin approached the bridge and stared up at the pair.

The man's hair was long and jet black, spiked in every direction; he wore a dark blue sleeveless tunic with a pair of off-white trousers, along with a pair of black boots; he had peculiar crimson eyes… and dear God, what has he done to his eyebrows? The same thing could be said for his nose and ears and… oh Lord in heaven; his forearms too? Upon closer inspection, he even had two underneath his bottom lip. The question was: what in God's name _were_ they?

Lucy absentmindedly huddled closer toward Natsu in moderate fear.

"Mr. Redfox, what can I do for you?" Natsu asked calmly, obviously unaffected by this bizarre man's appearance. Then again… Natsu _did_ have pink hair. So who was he to talk?

"We'll need to stop soon to retrieve some more supplies. We're low. And we'll need to buy extra, to accommodate for the girl," he said, his deep voice gruff. Natsu nodded thoughtfully and smiled down at Lucy after a moment when he noticed she had his arm in a vice.

"Lucy, this here is Gajeel Redfox, the boatswain. He takes care of the ship and is in charge of all of its supplies. He's also responsible for inspecting the ship and its sails and rigging each morning, and reporting their state to me."

Gajeel grunted, "Aye, but don't let this snot make you think that's _all_ I do, little girl. I'm also in charge of all deck activities, including weighing and dropping anchor, and the handling of the sails. Which makes me one of the most important members on this ship." He emphasized the last sentence and glared up at his captain, of which the latter easily brushed off.

Natsu laughed and shook his head, "And you never let anyone forget it, mate. Do you have any preferences of where you'd like to dock?"

Gajeel shrugged and turned around, walking back the way he had come, "I don't care in the slightest." And with that, he was gone.

After a few moments, Natsu finally spoke up again, "Lucy… can you release my elbow please? I'm starting to lose all feeling in my left forearm."

Lucy looked up into his face for a brief second before glancing down at the death-vice she had on his sleeveless arm. Embarrassed, she jerked away, releasing the appendage and placing a hand on her neck.

"I-I'm sorry, Captain!"

He chuckled and rolled his left arm around to restart the blood flow, "It's fine, really. So what did you think of Mr. Redfox? Quite the scary fellow, isn't he?"

She blushed. Had her reaction been that obvious? Of course it had: she nearly amputated the captain's arm off!

"…I didn't find him to be particularly charming."

"That's definitely a polite way of saying he's a frightening bastard," Natsu said with a laugh, "No, but in all honesty, he's a good man once you get to know him. I found him just south of Minstrel in a newer country known as Midi. He was to be hanged based on false information, but we saved him and I swore him in as my boatswain. He's extremely loyal and he's saved my ass on more than one occasion, pardon my language."

Natsu grinned before turning back to Lucy again, "He may look strange, but that man has the heart of a lion, he does."

Lucy stared at him a moment, taking in what he telling her. She had judged Natsu in much of the same way when she had first met him, but who could blame her? But now that she had actually gotten to know him…

He was definitely a good person. Even if didn't have his charming personality, there was just something about him that was instantly likeable, whether it was his smile, the way he spoke in confidence, or the way he seemed to regard others. It was obvious he had a high and positive opinion toward his crew and he respected them and treated them all like equals, even though he himself was captain.

His high position didn't inflate his ego and it didn't make him arrogant. He truly was a kindhearted and compassionate person.

Lucy looked down at her boots once again, shame making her ears hot. How could she have ever thought those dark things about him? Now that she thought about it… it reminded her of her father. And it made her sick.

"…Natsu… I'm sorry."

"Hm? For what?"

Lucy rubbed her cold arms with her hands, but still kept her eyes on her shoes, "…When we first met, I had ill thoughts toward you. I thought you were a dirty scoundrel who cared for nothing but himself, but I was wrong. You're kind and loyal… just like Gajeel. Well, he may not be kind, but you say he's indeed loyal, correct?"

She took a deep breath and looked into his eyes then. They were slightly widened, allowing her to take in the full effect of his expressive obsidian orbs. She smiled and continued.

"I find you to be just like that. When I first came to you, seeking your help – although you didn't offer it right away – you took me in and allowed me to board your ship. You even let me take refuge in your own quarters and utilize your washroom. I still have not paid you the promised coin you have asked for, but yet here we stand without confrontation. You willingly took me in, a complete stranger, and have offered camaraderie. If that does not say 'compassionate', I don't have a clue what does," she finished.

He was still staring at her, his face unreadable as he listened quietly. Never once did his dark eyes leave her own brown ones and he visibly took in everything she said to him, something she was definitely not used to. Whenever she would tell her father something, it was as if he only had one ear to offer, and that was on a good day. Most of the time he wouldn't even be paying her the slightest bit of attention.

_"That's nice dear; Mhm, lovely; Lucy, I'm busy at the moment. Can't this wait?"_

Natsu suddenly smiled, stunning her when he said, "You know, you're really nice. But you're definitely way too trusting."

He chuckled when she merely blinked a few times.

"Thank you, for the compliments. Really, I'm grateful. But you'll be surprised to discover that there are many different sides to me, some of which I hope you'll never have to see." He looked away after that last sentence and flexed his fingers, popping the joints and flexing the muscles. He shook them lightly before returning them to the wheel.

Lucy slowly frowned and held her hands to her chest. What could be possibly mean by that-?

"Oh, and about that money thing," he added, still observing the deck in front of him, "You don't have to worry about that anymore. Since you've been condemned to living on this ship with a group of men for a while, I reckon it should be the least of your worries. Speaking of which, where exactly do you plan on going?"

Lucy felt as if she had been slapped in the face. Where in the world _did_ she plan on going? She was in the middle of nowhere with only a small bag – that held a few personal belongings inside – and two hundred gold pieces to her name. All she knew was that since her decision to forsake her father and all of his assets, she was determined to try and make a living on her own. She refused to let someone control her life anymore, especially a man.

When she noticed that Natsu was now looking at her expectantly, she cleared her throat.

"Um… right. Well, I'm not quite sure yet. I haven't really… fully explored my options yet."

He raised a speculative brow and a smirk played at the corner of his lips.

"Well, if you need help figuring that out, you can always ask."

Lucy groaned inwardly. Her pride started to resurface at that statement. Her father would always reprimand her for having such a trait, but she didn't care. However, now was not the time to be prideful; she had no idea how to navigate on the sea, so why be stubborn about it now?

"…Thank you."

"Of course."

With nothing else to say, the princess fell silent once more.

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Lucy had left Natsu to man the wheel and had wandered over behind him to examine the back of the ship, which was now known to her as the stern. Leaning tentatively over the side, she stared at the water below in childlike wonder, her big brown eyes wide with curiosity. The waves gently sloshed around the back of the ship, then tumbled back down into the sea, the process repeating over and over again.

She had never seen anything like it. Although she had escaped many times from her duties as princess and went out to explore the city, she had never set foot aboard a ship before. The water, even though barely visible, was beautiful. Something about it was just so… mesmerizing.

Silently giggling to herself, she leaned back, suddenly nervous. Although the water was quite calm as of right now, she had read in numerous books that this was not always the case. As far as she knew, a stray wave could suddenly rush up and cast her overboard, causing her to be lost at sea…

Some movement far below caught her eye. At first Lucy thought she had been imagining things, but upon closer inspection, she could just make out the lean body of a young boy.

The other end of the rope he had tied around his waist was wrapped around a cleat and he looked as if he might have been cleaning a window. Lucy couldn't tell from her vantage point. Worried, she returned to Natsu's side, tugging lightly at his vest to gain his attention.

He was conversing with another one of his shipmates – an older man with an absurd color of hair, being that of dark blue. The older man smiled at the girl behind his captain and nodded a greeting. Natsu stopped mid-speech and turned around to face Lucy with a questioning gaze.

"Yes?"

"There's… There's someone down there," she said, pointing toward the stern. Natsu frowned and immediately released the wheel of the ship.

"Macao," he said, gesturing with his hand for his shipmate to follow. The man with the dark blue hair grunted and followed the younger until all three persons were leaning over the edge of the _FairyTail._

"See? Just down there," Lucy said, pointing toward the figure. Macao laughed and roughly slapped Natsu's shoulder.

"Ah, sorry for the scare milady," the older said, "That there is my son, Romeo. He's just cleaning the ship is all. Nothing to fear."

Suddenly feeling like a complete imbecile, all Lucy could say was, "Oh."

Chuckling again, he patted Natsu's shoulder once more before leaving the pair to go about his business. Out of nowhere, Natsu suddenly laughed and leaned his back against the stern rail, folding his arms across his chest and crossing his legs at the ankle. The pose was oddly… attractive.

Shaking her head to clear the indecent thought from her head, Lucy narrowed her eyes at him and puffed her cheeks out in a pout.

"Are you laughing at _me_, sir?"

"Why, Lucy! I wouldn't dare," he teased, trying to contain another laugh.

"Don't make fun of me," she warned.

Struggling to compose himself he nodded, holding up a hand in defense, "I'm sorry, really. I keep forgetting you're new to this whole sailing thing. Mr. Conbolt down there is a sort of helper, as it were. His father, Macao, helps around on the ship. He doesn't really work at a particular station like most members of the crew, but he gives me advice on where to go for supplies and provides other navigational tips. He's sort of like our second shipmaster."

Lucy tilted her head to the side, her mild irritation immediately being replaced by fascination.

"Shipmaster? What is that, exactly?"

"Well, for one, our actual shipmaster is a man named Jellal Fernandes. He is the officer in charge of navigation; directing the course of travel, looking after the maps and instruments necessary for navigation, that sort of thing. However, since many of these waters are unexplored, the charts we obtain are often inaccurate or even completely nonexistent, so it makes his job a difficult one."

Lucy's breath hitched in her throat. So it was easily possible to get lost at sea then… The books she had read forgotten to mention that. Then again, those were fiction. This was real life.

"It sounds frightening. Have you ever been lost at sea before?"

Natsu chuckled, "Aye, sadly I have. It injures my pride to admit it, but when I came across my first vessel, I had a vague idea of how everything worked. Actually no, I take that back. I knew how everything worked, I just couldn't do it all by myself. And I wasn't completely sure how to navigate. Properly at least." He laughed again before continuing.

"The first man I ever recruited was Gray. Although we didn't get along at first, he knew his way around a ship and proved to be an invaluable ally. The next was Gajeel. We didn't get along at first either, but his skill with bartering and ship repairs is unparalleled. Then together, we came across Jellal who had been captured by a rogue band of pirates."

Lucy, who was now sitting atop a barrel and silently listening to Natsu's story, gasped and brought a hand up to her mouth.

"Pirates?"

"Aye," he replied grimly. "You see, since the job of navigation is so complicated, many sailing masters are forced into pirate service. In fact, it's often said that a good navigator is worth his weight in gold. He's basically the most valued person aboard a ship, other than the captain, because the entire crew and ship depend upon his skill."

Lucy smiled as she heard faint traces of awe and pride in Natsu's voice. He definitely respected this Jellal Fernandes person.

"Anyway," he continued, "Jellal had been forced into working for these pirates. When we engaged them at sea, we blew apart their entire ship, effectively sinking it. Jellal had been one of the few survivors and he told us about his forced hand. So, we took him in and named him our own sailing master."

Lucy leaned back, utterly spellbound by the story. It reminded her of reading the adventure novels her mother had given to her. But somehow, seeing the face of Natsu and watching the myriad of expressions that crossed his facials as he recalled the story… Somehow, that was so much better than reading a book.

He was grinning as he watched her own reaction toward his tale.

"Remarkable… How did you meet the others then?"

"Well, Lyon – the other man who had been with me the day we met –"

"Vastia?" Lucy clarified.

"Aye. He was an old friend of Gray's and apparently not too bad a sailor himself. He was the sixth person we recruited, from the country of Iceberg."

'_Iceberg?'_ Another unfamiliar country name. She wrote a mental note to remind her to ask Natsu of all the different countries he had been to.

"Who was the fifth?" she asked curiously.

Natsu winced and silently cursed under his breath, his muscular frame suddenly tense. Afraid she might have said something wrong, she tried to apologize but Natsu just shook his head.

"No, no, it's fine. The fifth was actually a female by the name of Erza Scarlet. Although I don't allow females as part of the crew, I made an exception for her. She was more man than anything, and Jellal insisted that she come with us. I had no choice to accept."

Lucy frowned and crossed her arms, "Why don't you allow women as part of your crew?"

He shrugged and looked away. Lucy wasn't positive, but she swore she seen a light blush on his cheeks.

"Well… Men can be quite scoundrels, as I'm sure you know. Even though I have a somewhat disciplined crew, tensions can run high. Which they did when Erza was employed. You see, she is an extremely beautiful woman, and Jellal can become quite jealous; he definitely knows how to handle himself in a fight. I guess you could say I didn't like how much bloodshed there was aboard my vessel."

Lucy nodded slowly, realizing what kind of relationship this Erza woman must have had with Jellal.

"So… Jellal and Erza… they were…?"

"Aye. They are intimately involved." Lucy felt her cheeks catch aflame. The way he stated it so bluntly! She was quickly beginning to discover that he liked to get right to the point…

"Right. Er… Of course."

He chuckled and sighed, "That woman was absolutely terrifying. With her aboard, it was sometimes hard to tell who was captain… But she's still an excellent comrade. You could always count on Erza to have your back when times were rough, and she would always lift our spirits if we were ever feeling down. So you see what I mean about the whole captain thing, eh? It was fine though. The crew would still take my orders… somewhat."

Natsu's face suddenly became pale and he curled in himself. Was he… sulking?

"Ah… How could she could be so cruel…?"

Yes… Yes, he was.

She wasn't sure if it was his expression that made her do it, what with the way he was puffing out his cheeks and making such strange noises. She wasn't sure if it was just so bizarre seeing him act so strangely after all she had witnessed from him. It was just so uncharacteristic… or maybe this is what he meant by "different sides to him"? Whatever the case, she did it nonetheless.

Lucy couldn't help herself. She threw her hand over her mouth to try and stifle it, but it was no use. The Princess of Fiore laughed harder than she had ever had in her entire life. Tears of mirth streamed down her cheeks as she held her sides while her body racked with uncontrollable spasms.

Natsu had initially portrayed confidence in himself and made it seem like he was more mature than his outward appearance would suggest. However, judging by that last comment he made, and his facial expressions toward the matter, it would seem that he wasn't quite as stable as she previously thought. Which was somewhat of a relief to her.

It had been a long time since Lucy had ever met anyone her age who actually _acted_ that way. They were somehow always sticking their nose in the air, acting more like an adult who had better things to do, than other than relaxing once in a while. Due to her father's strict nature, Lucy had hardly ever been able to wind down herself, but when she did, she found it to be one of the most enjoyable things she had ever done at home, other than writing.

Natsu regained himself and stared at her while she laughed at him, a small smile starting to form on his own handsome face. Then he started to laugh with her, scratching the back of his head in mild embarrassment.

"There, now that's better. It was kind of sad to see such a face as yours so gloomy, Lucy. Are you feeling better now?"

At his startling words, Lucy somehow managed to get her laughing under control and stared at him wide-eyed.

"W-What?"

"Well… you just looked so sad, ever since you ran into me at the tavern. Your face is a lot prettier when there's a smile on it."

Natsu grinned and moved from his spot against the railing, coming to crouch down next to her spot on the barrel. He smiled gently and placed a warm hand on her knee.

"Don't frown, okay? I know we may seem like a band of unscrupulous men, and I know our manners aren't exactly First Class…" Lucy giggled again and his smile broadened, "But I really hope we can be friends."

She blinked as the word hit her. _'Friends…'_

She didn't have any friends. Not now, thanks to her father. Mercurius's servants – her old friends – were gone forever. She sniffed at the thought. But now, Natsu was offering her something she had wanted more than anything else in the entire world, apart from her freedom. He was offering her a place in someone's heart; because wasn't that what a friend was?

She smiled and rubbed her moisture filled eyes.

"Aye…" she said quietly, reaching out her hand. He took it in his own and helped her to her feet.

"Aye," she repeated more firmly, smiling brightly as she said so, "I hope we can be friends too, Natsu."

He gripped her hand tightly, almost to the point of near pain, but she didn't care. For once in what seemed like ages, she was genuinely happy. Natsu grinned and winked, "Good!"

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**There you have it folks! So how'd you all like it?! :O Did I live up to the expectation?! **

**Personally... I love Gajeel. He's one of my most favorite characters in the entire Fairy Tail kingdom! :D **

**Ah... Leave a review if you have preferences for certain characters or pairings you would like to see in the future. This story will more than likely be 30 to 40 chapters long... At least, I hope so anyway haha! Well, so long for now!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello once again Audience!**

**Sorry I missed the yesterday update. I have good news though! Not only has the worst part of my cold passed, I also have a new chapter for my faithful readers! Thank you SO much for your lovely support and kind words. You guys inspire me to write more! :D**

**Now. Without further adieu: here you go my duckies! Enjoy!**

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**Disclaimer: We've been over this... I own _nothing... :'\_**

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**Chapter 8**

_Dear Mama,_

_It's been three days now since I first boarded this ship. Yesterday morning, I woke up feeling unbearably sick, but Natsu told me that it was normal for someone who had never sailed before. He called it "sea-sickness". Today I did a lot better though and I even met several of the crewmembers. Jellal Fernandes, the ship master, is really quiet and doesn't say much, but he's an absolute gentleman and he's pretty easy-going. _

_But honestly… does everyone aboard __FairyTail__ have to have such strange hair color? His hair was bright blue, Mama. Speaking of which, Lyon Vastia, the sail maker, is _not_ an old man like I had previously thought. Gray had once called him such, so I had believed it to be, but when I formally introduced myself, I was surprised to see that he may have been Gray's senior by only a year or two. Odd._

_His hair was not white, just an extremely light blue. Elfman Strauss – now _that_ man had white hair. When Natsu first introduced me to him, I was frightened out of my wits. He was inhumanly tall and ridiculously muscular, towering over both Natsu and I like a living giant. He has a deep voice, tan skin, and he's always going on about "manly" things or some other such nonsense that I don't understand. He's a kind fellow though who is actually much like a giant teddy bear if you push him just the right way. He helps out Mr. Redfox as the first mate of the boatswain. Sort of like an apprentice._

_I've also had the pleasure of meeting the __FairyTail__'s cook, Mr. Sting Eucliffe. Although he may not create elaborate five course meals, he gets the job done quite effectively. He's one of the "normal ones" whose hair color is the same as my own and he has pretty blue eyes. He's actually quite handsome as well and his cat, whose name is Lector, is absolutely adorable._

_Which reminds me…_

_I've noticed there are several cats that are aboard this ship, all of which having incredibly outlandish fur colors! Lector's fur color is red; Mr. Rogue Cheney's cat (a black-haired man who is the first mate of the master carpenter, Bacchus), Frosch, is green in color; Gajeel's cat, Pantherlily, isn't very abnormal (being black in color with a white muzzle), but he still has orange colored eyes; and then we have Happy, Natsu's cat. He's _blue_ Mama. Yes, blue. I asked Natsu about the whole thing, but he simply shrugged and sort of avoided the question. How bizarre._

_There are several things in this world though that I have never seen before, foods I have never tried, refreshments I have never tasted, so who am I to judge? Natsu claims that he is going to make sure I experience everything that I'm curious about, which undoubtedly makes me happy._

_Mama… for once in my life, I've made a friend outside of the palace that is not interested in me just because of my title. I think Natsu genuinely wants to get to know me, although I have no idea what is so fascinating about me. He says I'm "nice, but weird", which I'm not sure how to properly take. Is that a compliment or an insult? At the time, I took it as an insult and walked away from him, but I've come to the realization that he's just not good with women and their feelings, which really shocks me._

_Natsu is by no means unattractive. By _no_ means, whatsoever. He's very handsome, charming and gifted with charisma, beautifully chiseled, and he's just the right height; but he's claimed to have never once been in a romantic relationship before. The strangest thing about the whole ordeal though was not this fact, but when I asked him _why_. An odd look I had never seen before flashed in his eyes, but he didn't say anything. It makes me ponder what he's been through in the past, but I didn't want to push him. He's been so kind to me, Mama. I don't want to lose this friend._

Lucy leaned back in her chair and stretched, her muscles stiff from leaning over her parchment paper for so long. Normally she wouldn't have written such a long letter to her mother, but there was just so much she had wanted to share with her. Lucy idly tapped the quill she still had in her hand against her cheek in thought, leaning forward on the round table of the captain's quarters with her elbows perched atop it. She smiled when Happy brushed against her bare legs and meowed to get her attention, scratching at the floor when she made him wait a few seconds.

"Alright; be patient, cat!" she scolded the blue feline gently. Placing her quill aside and capping off the ink jar she had set out, she pushed herself backward in the wooden chair she sat in and leaned down to pick up the fuzzy blue creature.

When she sat him on her lap and scratched the top of his furry little head, she giggled when it lolled to the side sleepily, a blissful look on his face. He was in heaven.

"You are the laziest animal I have ever encountered, Mr. Happy," Lucy declared as she continued her ministrations to his head and his back. His fur was incredibly soft and silky to the touch, as were the rest of the unique cats aboard the ship. Happy was her favorite though, due to the fact that he was the first one out of the bunch she had ever met.

She gazed down at him fondly while he basked in her affection, but he suddenly jerked up from his comfortable position when the pair of them heard a loud noise just outside of the double doors. It sounding like people were shouting…?

Curious, Lucy set Happy down on the floor while she rose from her seat and made her way toward the doors. _'I hope I'm not getting myself into anything I'll regret...'_

* * *

Natsu had thought for sure that when she had first laid eyes on him, she would instantly recognize him.

She had not.

He thought that when she made the sudden outburst, questioning him of being captain, that she had _definitely _recognized him.

She had not.

At least, she hadn't let on that she knew. And he wasn't about to tell her the truth any time soon.

Not that he had anything against her per se, but he didn't see what the point would have been if he had in fact told her the truth about his identity. And she wasn't going to let him in any time soon either. They were at a stalemate. It wasn't like he was lying either; she technically hadn't even asked.

She was definitely a good person though; he could tell that much. He could also tell that she had had some serious hardships in the recent past and that her mind and heart were fractured at the moment. He didn't want to push her in the wrong way, so he left it alone. He wanted her to trust him, for reasons unknown to him. Maybe because she had looked so sad…?

He couldn't get the image of such a face out of his mind. When he had first laid eyes on her, her brown orbs looked haunted and severely emotionally drained. She was definitely exhausted and when he had told her that the merchants had already left, he inwardly cringed when he saw the look of utter defeat and chaos cross her face. It reminded him of himself all those years ago, when he had been back _there_…

Wherever she had come from, it definitely wasn't a good place for her. She made that transparently clear. After he had given her refuge in his quarters and given her access to his private bath, she had come out looking a bit better than she had before. But there was still a hint of that lost and forlorn look in her eyes.

She clearly didn't trust him. Not completely at least, but could he blame her?

He wanted her to trust him. He wanted her to believe that he wasn't there to hurt her and so he offered her his friendship.

What the devil was he thinking?

He had no business getting close to another one of her kind. He didn't want to go back to that world… even _if_ she had possibly forsaken it. He had met too many of _them_ who had gone back when things didn't go their way.

What had they expected? Luxury cruises, sunshine every day and brandy on the rocks? This was _not_ the way of the sea. The waters were harsh and unforgiving. It didn't care what kind of title you possessed or how high you fancied yourself above others. It would swallow you whole, chew you up, and spit you back out again… if you were so lucky.

Her curiosity seemed authentic though. Every time he would tell her a story about one of his adventures, or how he had met one of his crew members, or even where he had been in his life, her eyes would sparkle and shine in delight. She would absolutely absorb everything her told her, hang on every detail. It pleased him to see her smile and he decided that's what he would do from now on.

He would make Lucy smile. He didn't want to see her sad and the bastards that ever _did_ make such an emotion come over her would have hell to pay; he'd make sure of that.

No, wait. Wasn't he supposed to be avoiding her? _'Oh, damn it all to hell.'_

Natsu sighed, completely caught up in his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed Gray speaking to him. Hell, he hadn't even heard him approach.

"Natsu!" the raven hissed and went so far as to punch his captain in the shoulder.

The pinkette started and looked around dumbly, finally eyeing his quartermaster who was now scrutinizing him carefully.

"Wha-?"

"You haven't heard a single damn thing I've been saying, have you?" the other replied with narrowed eyes.

Natsu felt his face twitch as he tried not to laugh, "Nope. Not a clue. What did you say?"

Gray closed his eyes, his patience running thin, "In a nutshell: I _said_ we're nearing our destination. About half a day's travel left, by my reckoning. Gajeel's made a list of what we'll need for the trip home. Personally, I think this is _way_ too much crap. It's like he thinks Lucy eats more than a killer whale or somethin'."

Natsu laughed and shrugged, "Well, you never know. She may be slim, but she may surprise us yet by having an insatiable appetite. Hell, I'm a living example of that."

Gray made a face and Natsu stuck out his tongue in retaliation.

"Tch. Immature moron," Gray muttered.

"Uptight stripper," Natsu shot back. Gray gawked and glanced down at himself quickly to make sure that his disturbing habit of removing his clothes at random moments hadn't occurred yet. Thankfully it hadn't and he sighed in relief.

Natsu snorted, "Anyway, give me the list and I'll look over it. How much room do we have left below deck?"

"About two-thirds I'd say. Most of the stuff is extras we don't even need though. Do you think we can barter?"

"Sure," Natsu grinned again, "If I take Gajeel with me, I'm sure things'll go our way no problem."

Gray nodded, "Good idea. I'll hang back and keep watch over _FairyTail_ then while you two go down there and retrieve the goods."

"Alright, fine." After a moment's hesitation, Natsu added, "I wanna take Lucy down there with us too. She's dying to know what it's like out there 'in the wild'."

He laughed when he imagined what her face might look like if he asked her to join him on their little "mission". There was no doubting that she'd be thrilled. She would probably be pointing out everything unfamiliar to her and then demand to know what it was exactly.

"Why are you grinning like an idiot?" Gray suddenly asked, knocking Natsu out of his reverie. The pinkette could feel his eye twitch in irritation. Did the raven _enjoy_ rubbing him the wrong way? Judging by the smug look on his face… Yes. Yes he did.

"I'm not grinning, you bastard."

"Yes you were. You had a dumb look on your face and you were doing this," Gray made a horrific twisted expression that resembled– that resembled… Natsu didn't even know. Whatever.

What he _did_ know was that it was pissing him off. The creep seriously knew how to get under his skin.

"_Now_ look who has the dumb expression on their face. Careful; you might end up getting stuck like that. Oh wait…" the pinkette trailed off, mockingly placing a hand over his mouth in feigned horror.

Gray shot an eyeful of daggers at his longtime rival, "Oh, so you admit now that you previously had a dumb look on your face?"

"You want a piece of me or somethin'?" Natsu snarled.

"Bring it on you scrawny bastard! I'll kick your ass anytime of the day!" Gray shouted, balling his hands into fists.

During the entire argument, crewmates had gathered near the two just outside the captain's quarters. Glancing at the twin doors, Natsu mentally swore and tore his gaze away from the wooden doors as Gray charged at him, fists raised.

Damn it all! He hoped Lucy wouldn't have to see how immature even _he_ could be, but Gray couldn't leave things alone… And the pinkette admittedly _loved_ the rush of a good fight.

Adrenaline immediately started pumping through his veins and he dodged Gray's swift blow that was aimed for his jaw. His senses instantly came to life and he was an animal, grinning savagely as he swung his own fist toward the raven quartermaster.

Said man dodged the attack as well and put a bit of distance between himself and his captain. He grinned and he flexed his knuckles and stared the pinkette down. Natsu paused for a brief moment, marveling in the excitement that was now coursing through his body. For the past few days, he hadn't felt like himself. The self-issued mission he had sent himself on had completely swallowed him whole, yes, but he hadn't _lost_ himself. Ever since he had met Lucy though – no offence to her of course – he had been thrown for a loop, and it had confused and alarmed him greatly.

He briefly heard his shipmates egging both him and Gray on, chanting their names obsessively and shaking their fists at the pair in motivation.

Natsu felt his lip curl over his teeth in a snarl of a grin as he faced off with Gray. _'Yes…'_ This was what he lived for: the thrill of the fight. The release of pent up anger and frustration; it was like a potent drug that could only be cured by a good old-fashioned fistfight.

He charged at Gray full-speed, surprising the other, and managed to land a punch to his rival's cheek, nearly knocking the other to his knees. The group around the pinkette cheered like crazy, but it was all static to him. He was focused now, completely oblivious to the world around him. Right now, it was just him and Gray, locked in a battle that would only end with one of them waving the white flag of surrender.

Gray followed up with a roundhouse kick to the shins to catch Natsu off-balance, but the other was prepared for such a move. He leapt over the others leg and rolled to the side, immediately charging once again. Gray dodged another attack and managed to land a punch square into his opponent's face, finally disrupting the pink-haired man's sense of balance. Gray swept his leg underneath the other, causing him to fall flat on his back with a heavy thump.

Natsu grunted, but he was far from done yet. Effortlessly performing a kip-up, he sprung back up to his feet before Gray had the chance to pounce on him again. He wiped his nose as he felt blood instantly fall from his face as soon as he was upright again.

At the sight of his own blood, Natsu's eyes narrowed and he focused them back on Gray. _'Scrawny bastard, eh?'_ It was on.

With a feral roar, Natsu lunged at his opponent once more, faster than he had ever moved before which took Gray by surprise. Natsu grappled him around the waist and used every bit of his strength to lift Gray high into the air and slam him down back onto the wooden deck… _hard_.

The raven gasped for breath, clutching at his chest and heaving as he tried to right himself as fast as possible. Natsu wasn't having that, oh no. Instead, the pinkette tackled his rival and braced him down with his knees as he repeatedly rained blow after blow upon the man below him. All he saw was red. His victory was so close, he could taste it.

Natsu and Gray's fights had always ended in ties, but something had snapped in the pinkette that he couldn't quite put his finger on. He noticed that he had been more moody than usual and hadn't been his natural cheery self as of late. _'What am I doing?'_

Gray struggled underneath his captain and managed to block most of his assailant's blows to his face. There wasn't much he could do for the rest of his body though, but he refused to give in.

Suddenly Natsu heard something rather peculiar. It was almost like a whispered caress to his ears, except tainted with a slight twinge of terror. He ceased in his brutal onslaught upon Gray and looked up sharply, curious as to what the sound had been. Again, it passed through his ears and he turned his head around, determined to know where the sound was coming from… and he didn't even know why, damn it! His instincts screamed at him to finish what he had started, but there was a tiny voice inside his head that told him to find the noise he had heard.

Then he saw it. Or rather _her_.

'_Lucy…?'_

She was staring at him wide-eyed and her mouth slightly ajar. He blinked a few times before he could register what kind of expression she displayed on her face. His stomach twisted sharply when he finally realized what she had actually witnessed.

He had been on top of Gray, beating him senseless. Terror, as pure as it could get, was reflected in those pretty doe-like brown eyes of hers.

He couldn't move. He couldn't speak. He was still frozen from the midst of his battle with his rival. And then, a sharp pain connected with the left side of his face, catching him completely off guard and knocking him down flat on his stomach.

Then everything was black.

* * *

**Ah! What's going to happen next?!**

**I'm so excited for the next chapter, and I hope you all are too! :D**

**Leave a review and tell me what you think so far! Cheers!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello there faithful Audience! ;D**

**I'm SO freakin' happy that you guys are all loving this story so far! AHH! It makes me so excited and inspires the beejeezus outta me! :D I can't say this enough you guys. You're the best Audience ever. Truly.**

**I'm sorry this chapter is so late in posting (yet again -_-) but I've just been so busy lately! D: Bleh. AND it's a bit shorter that what I've been posting recently, so I hope that isn't too big of an issue...**

**I promise the next chapter will be twice as long though; I guarantee it! :)**

**Now... without further adieu: TO THE STORY! :D Enjoy the NaLu goodness!**

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**Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Fairy Tail. If I did... well, it wouldn't be as awesome! Hiro Mash is the MAN! (Credit goes to Elfman there ;D)**

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**Chapter 9**

She swore: incredibly smart men could be _amazingly_ dim-witted at times. Lucy sat on the edge of the captain's cot, her legs pulled up to her chest and her forehead pressed against her knees, listening to the quiet inhale and exhale of the pink-haired man himself. It was deep and rhythmic, indicating that he was still out of it.

He was calm. Peaceful. The polar opposite of what he _had_ been not quite an hour ago.

The image of his face morphed into that of a crazed animal crept into her mind, making her tremble. He had ruthlessly been pounding his fists into Gray's flesh, and what was worse… was the fact that he looked like he had been enjoying it.

An involuntary shiver ran up her spine when she saw how dark and focused his eyes had been. Flint-like chips of hard stone, penetrating even the toughest of armors and making even the bravest of knights shake in their boots.

They were usually so warm and open, understanding and caring; undeniably benevolent and amiable. Lucy shook her head, discarding the sinister thoughts that tried to squirm their way into her mind as she glanced down at the captain. She couldn't help but smile.

He looked very much like a child while he slept; vulnerable and quite adorable. Was he… drooling? Lucy laughed as she leaned over and wiped his chin, rubbing her soiled hand on the front of his dark-colored sleeveless tunic. His skin was really soft and smooth and she couldn't help but brush the back of her fingers along his firm jaw line.

He moaned softly and turned his head, leaning more of his face toward her open palm. A soft sigh escaped her lips and she felt a tiny smile tug at the corner of her lips. He was so cute like this.

She had only witnessed him sleep one other time, but he had only slept for a few hours and the facial expression he wore then wasn't anywhere near what it was now. Back then, his brow had been scrunched and his figure tense and stiff. His arms had been folded over his chest and he had one of his knees drawn up to his chest as he leaned against the wall.

But seeing him now, completely at ease with himself… It was no wonder he had exploded with so much ferocity toward Gray. He had hardly had a wink of sleep ever since she had boarded the ship and she was beginning to blame herself. After all, she had kind of taken over his cot. By all rights he was irritable and even the slightest bit of prodding in the wrong direction could have easily led him toward a destructive outburst.

At least… she had hoped that had been the case.

She had spoken to Gray on the matter after he had recovered from the brutal onslaught. He had grinned while a trickle of blood fell from his lip and said, _"I'm glad he's finally back,"_ before proceeding to cleanse himself. When she asked him why they had fought, he told her that she should ask Natsu when he finally awoke.

So she had helped Gray lift him – Gods he was heavy! – and the duo carried his unconscious body to his quarters. Now she sat by his side, listening to the soft snores of her pink-haired companion.

Suddenly, Natsu moaned once again and wrenched his head to the side, his hand coming up to roughly cup the injured side of his face. Slowly, his eyelids fluttered open and Lucy was overjoyed that she could see his obsidian orbs one again. He looked unbearably groggy and his eyes flitted around the room before landing on her figure. They widened slightly before narrowing and then finally shifting away and closing in shame.

Lucy tilted her head to the side in confusion. _'Shame? But why?'_

"…I'm so sorry."

The apology had come from out of nowhere, throwing Lucy off-balance. She stared down at him as he looked at anything but her, his hand slowly massaging the infliction that slightly discolored his face.

"…Why are you apologizing to me?" She finally managed to ask. He glanced at her, bewilderment etched in his face, before he quickly looked away again.

"B-Because…" he paused a few minutes before reluctantly continuing, still avoiding eye contact, "Do you remember when I said there are some sides of me that I wished you never had to see?"

Lucy nodded slowly, "Yes, although those weren't your exact words."

He chuckled despite himself and continued, "Aye. Well… that was a particular side and I'm truly sorry you had to bear witness to such a thing. The truth is though…" he paused, finally looking at her. His eyes burned into her own, sending another wave of shivers down her spine… although this time, they were anything but unpleasant.

"The truth is," he repeated quietly, "I absolutely _love_ the thrill of a fight. Now, it's not something I'm exactly pleased to share with you, but I'm proud in the fact that it's something I'm good at. I'm not ashamed of admitting that and I earnestly hope you can understand." He paused again and studied her face, more than likely gauging her reaction. Lucy made sure to keep her emotions completely at bay until he was finished and forced herself to stay calm.

Apparently it worked since he continued speaking; his rigid form slowly relaxed as his taught muscles unwound.

"The first time I had ever held a sword was when I was a small child. My father had taught me the ways of the blade when I had barely turned my sixth year. To say that he was an unrelenting teacher would be a severe understatement, but in turn, I ended up becoming quite the tenacious one myself. He taught me the honor that came with owning a blade that was forged by your own hand; the strength you needed to stand and fight against those who wished to bring harm onto your friends and loved ones; and the wisdom to know that even with the smallest bit of courage, you could still triumph over your opponents, no matter what."

Lucy felt the smile that had been tugging at her lips broaden until she was beaming at the pinkette lying before her. She felt an emotional tug at her heart as he spoke with an overflowing amount of conviction and admiration in his voice. It was painfully obvious how much he respected his father, but there was also a hint of sadness to his voice.

When he finished, he was smiling right back at her. Lucy placed her hand over her heart and exhaled softly.

"I take it you have a very good relationship with your father, despite how you were raised," she stated gently, although somehow it came out more as a question. He released a soft sigh of his own and his smile didn't falter; although the hint of sadness she had heard in his voice, slowly crept into his dark eyes.

"Aye," he finally replied, "we were close… at one point in time, at least."

Lucy felt her smile slip, "What do you mean?"

"I haven't seen my father since I was twelve," Natsu stated matter-of-factly. He seemed so nonchalant about it, but his body language suggested that it was the complete opposite. He turned away from her and wouldn't meet her eyes, dragging the white sheet on his body up to his chest and tucking his chin underneath.

He looked so fragile in that sudden instant. He had just been a boy when he had lost his father and unlike Lucy, he appeared to have been extremely close with him. The thought made Lucy somewhat envious, but she pushed the emotion away.

"What is your father's name?"

Natsu turned his head at her question and stared at her curiously before answering.

"Igneel. My father's name is Igneel. He found me wandering the streets of my hometown when I was five and adopted me."

Lucy gasped and covered her mouth, "You- You were orphaned?"

Natsu nodded, still eyeing her curiously, "Aye… Um, Lucy? I'm grateful that you're here and all, but you're starting to make me a bit nervous. Despite all the friendly chit-chat about my father and my up-bringing, you haven't said a single thing about my fight with Gray…"

Lucy blinked at the sudden change of subject and frowned, "Yes… I am aware. What about it?"

Natsu looked taken aback, "Y-You... your face-?"

'_My face?'_

"Natsu, what in the world are you talking about?"

He frowned and sat up slowly, wincing as he did so. He gingerly cradled the side of his head again and grimaced before continuing.

"When you saw us fighting, you had this terrible expression on your face…" he said after a moment, his voice quiet and subdued, "It was as if you had seen a monster of some sort and you had looked deathly afraid. I know I had probably looked pretty scary, but I _swear_ I-"

"Natsu," Lucy cut in sharply, effectively silencing him. His eyes widened a fraction as Lucy scooted a few inches closer to him, "You are a man. No offence, but men are always doing amazingly dim-witted things, such as fighting amongst one another for the most ridiculous of reasons. Which brings me to another question: Why is it you and Gray were fighting in the first place?"

Lucy swore she seen him turn pink, but he had turned away so quickly she couldn't be sure. He scratched the back of his head nervously and chuckled.

"Ah, well, you know. A 'ridiculous reason', I suppose. We were involved in an argument, one thing led to another… Pretty soon we were at each other's throats and instead of a verbal fight, we engaged in a physical one. Nothin' new really."

"You mean this sort of thing happens often?" she questioned incredulously. He merely nodded, a worried expression starting to slowly creep across his face as he studied her reaction.

'_Oh my… I would have never of guessed with the way they had originally treated one another. They had just seemed so much more mature than that!'_

"Natsu," she asked slowly, "how old are you exactly?"

"Is that… relevant?"

Lucy struggled to keep her composure as she stared him down. If he was younger than she was...

"Y-Yes. Yes, it is."

"I'm… more than likely a year or two your senior," he said evasively. Lucy narrowed her eyes at him.

"I said 'exactly', Mr. Dragneel."

A sour face passed over his facials for the second time that day and he sighed, visibly giving in, "This is my eighteenth year, Miss Ashley. May I ask how old you are in return?"

Lucy felt the muscles in her back and legs loosen - she had unknowingly been tense, waiting for his answer - and she breathed an inconspicuous sigh of relief. _'Wait-! Why am I relieved?! It's not like I cared one way or the other-!'_

Then the effect of his words actually hit her when she processed what he actually said. _'He is only eighteen years of age? How could he possibly be a captain of his own ship then? A ship of this _magnitude_ no less!'_

She pushed aside the thoughts for now and decided that she would ask him about it later.

"I am nearing my eighteenth year in about six months from now," Lucy said smoothly, trying desperately to ignore the look of satisfaction that crossed his face.

"I see. You're very mature for your age, so I would have never of guessed," he commented with a smile.

She mirrored the smile back, "Thank you."

After a few seconds of silence, Natsu finally asked, "So… do you know what happened exactly after that fight? I don't recall Gray ever landing such a blow, but I feel as if the side of my head has been crushed in by a mallet of some sort." He winced again as he brought up his hand once more to brush his lean fingers over the damaged side of his handsome face.

Lucy cringed as she recalled the memory: Natsu had Gray pinned down underneath him, pounding away, but as soon as the pinkette had spotted her, time had seemed to slow down. Neither one of them could tear their gaze away until Gray had grabbed a small wooden bucket that had been sitting nearby and smashed it against the side of Natsu's head, adequately knocking out his unsuspecting opponent. The thought of witnessing the tough wood being splintered to pieces as it connected with Natsu's face made Lucy recoil.

She relayed this information to her companion – leaving out some _particular_ details, such as how she couldn't look away from him... – and the man narrowed his eyes and punched his fist into his palm aggressively.

"That bastard," he snarled, "he snuck a cheap shot in while I wasn't lookin'." His exposed biceps flexed as he squeezed his fist in irritation, "I bet the damn stripper thinks he's won now. I can't wait 'till I go back out there and-"

He cut himself off when he glanced at Lucy again, an apologetic look passing his face as he caught her eye. She felt her eyebrow twitch in awkward confusion. _'…Stripper?_' Deciding against asking him about it, she shook her head quickly instead and waved her hand in dismissal.

"I already told you Natsu. Men do dumb things and it's not in my power to change that. If you want to fight with him… then do it. It's not like I can order you around, you know."

He looked away guiltily and let his hands fall onto his lap, "I know. But… I can't help but still feel bad about the whole thing. You're new aboard the ship and I don't want you thinking that I'm some sort of unsound schizzo who goes around attacking people at random. I have morals you know!"

Lucy had to laugh at this. He had used his arms and hands and flailed them about, making wild gestures as he spoke.

"It's fine Natsu. I will admit I was scared there for a while, but I know you would never seriously injure one of your friends," she smiled, "We _are_ still friends, right?"

The pinkette smirked back and moved to grasp her forearm with his hand, "Aye, that we are milady. We're definitely still friends."

She realized that the particular way he was grasping her forearm was like an informal agreement or greeting. She remembered how Gray had grabbed a hold of Lyon's forearm in much of the same way and so she gripped Natsu's in return. Lucy marveled in the way the taut muscles in his arm flexed and stretched underneath her small hand.

He beamed back at her as she felt a large smile spread across her face.

* * *

**Those two are definitely gettin' closer... ;O**

**My Pop Quiz Time!**

**1. Who remembers the name Lucy gave Natsu when they formally introduced themselves?**

**ANSWER!**

**Lucy Ashley (Her Edolas counterpart ;] Although in this case, she's using it as a cover so he doesn't realize she's the runaway Princess of Fiore... What do ye think, me duckies? :D)**

**2. What is a schizzo? (Pronunciation: SS-KIH-ZO)**

**ANSWER!**

**It basically means a deranged crazy person. o_o**

**That's all for todays Pop Quiz! If you answered them right (without LOOKING of course... Tsk tsk), a little fairy will give you ten thousand gold coins. If not, you're still a champ in my eyes! :]**

**I hope everyone enjoyed that last chapter! Leave a review and tell me what you think so far! I love you all :) Cheers!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello again Audience! **

**HOLY FREAKIN' COW! There's been a _ton_ of reviews and positive feedback from you guys. Like I always say: it inspires me to write more. This is the longest chapter so far! I hope you guys enjoy it.**

**I'm sorry it took so long to upload, but if you checked out my prof., you would have seen the explanation. For those of you who haven't, I'll explain now: For some reason, whenever I tried to navigate to the publish page, it wouldn't allow me to access it. That, and I was unable to access the Doc Manager as well.**

**I'm glad that's over and done with now though... Ugh. Anyway, enjoy the chappy! :)**

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**Disclaimer: Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail. I can only wish I was as awesome... o_o**

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**Chapter 10**

Shortly after they had a light conversation, Lucy left Natsu alone so he could prepare for their stop at the Iron City, the capital of Midi and Gajeel's home country. Speaking of which, Lucy made sure to write a mental note to remind herself in asking Natsu where the pinkette himself had been born. He had fleetingly mentioned it while he had been talking about his foster father, Igneel, but she wanted to know more.

She was curious about the several different countries in Earth Land and she wanted to see every single one of them. Lucy smiled when she recalled her most recent letter to her mother; Lucy had written about Natsu and how he promised to make sure she would get to do everything she wanted by acting as her personal chaperon.

"_I'm serious,"_ he had said with a broad smile, _"I'll take you to every single town and capital of all fifteen countries. And then once we're done with that, we'll explore every uncharted island that we come across, and we'll eat and drink whatever strikes your fancy. That's a promise!"_

It had made her feel a bit spoiled, much to her chagrin, but she had been at such a loss for words after his touching declaration that she simply could not refuse his offer.

She felt her smile broaden. He had left her speechless once again and overcome by a multitudinous amount of emotions.

Now she stood at the bow of _FairyTail_, watching the waves of the ocean splash against the side of the ship below as it traveled. They would be nearing their destination in a matter of minutes. The thought alone made Lucy's entire body tingle in anticipation.

Tall craggy cliff sides loomed high above the ship as they sailed in further toward Midi and pillars of stone jutted out of the water, threatening the vessel's precarious path. They were grey and pointed near the top, with razor-sharp edges sticking out in random points all over the surface. Lucy could only imagine how devastating the damage would be if a ship were to even brush against such wicked obstructions.

"What's the eye of the wind Mr. Fullbuster?" Natsu called out from his position at the bridge. He was currently manning the wheel himself, even though Gray was usually the one who carried out that sort of business.

The raven was currently stationed aloft with a strange device in his hands that was foreign to Lucy.

"There's a stray wind comin' in, Cap'n! As soon as it's passed, we need about forty-five degrees on port side!"

Lucy strained to hear him above the wind that lashed about in her eardrums, even though she was situated directly below him. Natsu seemed to hear every word perfectly though and he barked a barrage of orders at his men, his authoritative voice commanding and powerful.

After Natsu had dressed, donning his ratty clothes Lucy had met him in – and even sporting his hat and wig/bandanna/beard combo – he had spoken to Gray and the two had made amends rather easily, despite the injures they had inflicted upon one another. Natsu hadn't deceived her when he had said they fought often… But for some strange reason, Lucy no longer felt afraid of that fact. _'Curious.'_

She could see the slight bruising on the left side of Natsu's face and even on the bridge of his nose where Gray had slugged him. The fake beard and wig he was wearing concealed most of the damage though which had Lucy pondering over his decision on his wardrobe choice.

She knew it was a disguise – she liked to think she wasn't ignorant – but why would he choose to wear one in the first place? Was he trying to hide his identity? Maybe it was to protect _FairyTail_. After all, most of the large ships that sailed the seas were captained by older men, or so she remembered hearing something along those lines from Natsu. That was only a thought though. She really had no idea why he would need a disguise, but it made sense. If he didn't use the disguise, the ship would more than likely become a target for loot, seeing as that it was actually captained by "an inexperienced youth".

But Natsu was anything but inept at commanding a ship. She watched with interest as the crew of _FairyTail_ ran about the deck and manned particular stations, all the while obeying every order Natsu threw at them. The directions still went over Lucy's head though, so she just watched the crew perform their duty.

Happy caught her eye when he padded out of Natsu's quarters and trotted up the stairs to the bridge in order to join his master. Leaping up high into the air as soon as he reached his human's feet, Happy scrabbled up Natsu's coat to perch himself on his master's shoulder, hovering like a parrot.

The scene was so bizarre, Lucy couldn't help but laugh. Natsu glanced over at her curiously before beckoning her over, a friendly expression on his face. She smiled and carefully made her way toward the bridge, crossing the deck while avoiding the busy sailors. Some grunted their greetings, others smiled; some even went as far as to let out cat-calls and whistle in her direction. She blushed at all of the attention, waving or shaking a threatening fist, depending on how she was acknowledged.

Finally she reached the bridge and climbed up the stairs gracefully, all the while trying to regain her composure. When she took up a position next to Natsu and peeked up at him, she noticed that his characteristic grin was firmly etched onto his now-scruffy face. She couldn't help but direct a dubious raised brow at his grungy fake beard and headset.

He glanced down at her through the corner of his eye and snorted, "What's with the look?"

"Why are you wearing those greasy things?"

Natsu laughed and fingered his black beard, "Hey now. If it keeps our hides safe, then I'll even throw in an eye patch or peg leg. I'm not about to put my comrades in danger just for the sake of my pride. Hell, if it came to it, I'd even wear tights."

Now it was Lucy's turn to laugh, of which she struggled to contain, "God forbid that ever happening! So I assumed right then," Lucy mused after a minute.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I assumed you were wearing a disguise in order to keep _FairyTail_ safe, along with her crew."

Natsu smiled before returning his gaze to the hazardous water before them, "Aye. Leave it to you to figure it out so quickly."

Lucy felt her chest swell with pride at his praise and she turned her own eyes to the waters as well. However, as soon as she seen the jutting pillars of treacherous rock approaching at a steady pace, the proud feeling was replaced with a sickening sense of dread.

Yet Natsu seemed completely at ease. From what she could tell, he was quite relaxed as he stood with his back straight and firm and his hands resting casually on the wheel of the ship.

He was confident. He had faith in his abilities to navigate the ship and Lucy knew she should too. She jumped when he placed a light – but warm – hand on her shoulder. He still kept his eyes ahead of him, but the reassurance that radiated from the simple touch told her everything she needed to know. She could trust him.

"Mr. Fullbuster?" Natsu called out over the shouting of the crewmembers. Gray nodded from where he still kept watch aloft, an affirmative look on his face. The rocks ahead were nearly upon them.

"Aye, Cap'n. Begin the turn now!"

Then Natsu finally began to rotate the wheel and the ship slowly shifted toward port side, just like Gray had instructed. Now without further direction, Natsu carefully and skillfully maneuvered the _FairyTail_ around the sharp rocks, avoiding them completely.

"A rogue current, dead ahead Cap'n!" Gray shouted down.

"Steady as she goes, lads. She can handle it," Natsu said calmly.

Not even a minute later, Lucy felt the ship slightly shudder as it hit the turbulent current, but true to Natsu's words, _FairyTail _stayed true to her course and cut through the water easily, trekking onward. Lucy exhaled in relief and felt herself grin as she finally saw the port to Midi as the ship came around the bend of the cliff side.

She felt her eyes widen in child-like wonder as she stared at the unfamiliar scenery.

The port was rather small and only had a few available spaces for actual docking, but the beach that it extended from had several dinghies and longboats scattered about its' shoreline. The town itself was small as well and completely enclosed by towering thick stone faces, as if challenging engagement from foreign visitors. It was safe to say that in case the event of a fight – or even tsunami – the townspeople would have the advantage and receive minimal damage.

As for the numbered amount of buildings that made up Midi, they were dotted all over the landscape, giving each other an adequate amount of space. There were even more buildings near the back – which Lucy was going to assume were homes – that were built fairly close to each other, suggesting that the people that lived in Midi got along quite well amongst one another. Why else would stores be so far apart yet homes so close? It made sense.

The thing that shocked Lucy the most was the fact that there was little flora and fauna decorating the area. It was a drastic change in what she had always been used to; flowers and colors and tall trees were _always_ present in Crocus. Lucy didn't mind though. She was in a new country! It was like a dream come true which made her eyes start to water.

She noticed that there were a few fishermen here along the shoreline, as well as children who pointed at the approaching ship in awe, their squeals of delight audible even to Lucy's ears.

She heard Natsu chuckle as he must have heard them too and turned to face him, a grateful smile on her face.

"Thank you for allowing me to accompany you, Natsu." Lucy said gently, torrential emotion wracking her body and threatening to make her traitorous tears known.

Natsu turned to face her, his brow furrowing after studying her face carefully.

"Hey, why are you crying?"

She simply shook her head and took a small step toward him, shyly wrapping her thin arms around his firm figure.

"Thanks for letting me go with you," she repeated again, though with less formality. After a brief moment of her awkward hug, Natsu finally wrapped his own arm around her shoulders, returning her affectionate gesture. She felt the faint rumbling of his laugh reverberate through his chest and exit through his mouth as she gripped him tightly.

"You're welcome, Lucy," he said, mirroring her gentle voice.

…

And she could have stayed like that forever if he hadn't smelled so bad…

She pulled away rather quickly and scrunched her nose, waving her hand in front of her as a means to ward of the pungent odor.

"Ugh… Natsu, do you really have to wear that smelly coat? And that shirt… it's ripped to pieces. Your pants aren't faring any better either," Lucy chastised through her plugged nose, sounding rather strange.

Natsu stared at her incredulously before erupting into a fit of laughter and refocusing his concentration into steering the ship into port.

"What are you on about, woman? I have no intention of changing; it's part of my masterful disguise!" He scoffed, "If you don't like it, then don't embrace me."

Lucy felt her cheeks heat up and her temper spark a bit, "E-Embrace?! What are _you_ on about, sir? It was an innocent hug, nothing more."

"Nothing more, eh?" Natsu questioned airily, "I wouldn't say _that_. Your hands were roaming all over the place."

If Lucy's face hadn't been burning before, it sure was now.

"M-My hands w-weren't roaming, you pervert! It was just a simple _hug_!"

"Sure it was."

"It was!" Lucy's voice had raised an octave and her bottom lip stuck out in the form of an angry pout.

"That won't work on me, Lucy," suddenly Natsu's voice changed and he spoke teasingly in his "pirate" accent, "I be a black-hearted scallywag, ya hear? I won't fall for yer feminine wiles; that ye can be sure of."

Lucy rolled her eyes and couldn't resist the involuntary smile that spread across her face. This man was too ridiculously charming for his own good.

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"Is everything ship shape, Mr. Fullbuster?" Natsu asked Gray from where he stood on the dock. Lucy had joined him and Gajeel as they clambered off the _FairyTail_ fully armed, despite the peaceful mission they were about to take part on. Happy and Pantherlily had come along as well; both were perched on their respective master's shoulders

Gray nodded in the direction of his captain, "Aye, ship shape indeed Cap'n."

"Good man," Natsu replied with a nod of his own, "We'll be back in a few hours or so. Go ahead and keep the sails unfurled for the time being and keep an eye out for any suspicious activity. I don't want any trouble," he added.

"Aye aye, Cap."

With that, Natsu turned on his heel and led the way off the dock and toward the beach with Lucy and Gajeel flanking either side of him. Happy and Pantherlily traded glances with one another and Lucy couldn't help but giggle.

Both men turned their heads in her direction, eyeing her curiously.

"What're you laughing about over there, little girl?" Gajeel questioned in the only way he knew how: gruff and ill-mannered.

Lucy shrugged indifferently, "I just find it funny that both Happy and Lily are on your shoulders, as if they're birds or some other such beast of the like."

Natsu laughed heartily at the expression that crossed Gajeel's face; he had been completely taken aback by the nickname Lucy had given Pantherlily, but he didn't appear to be spiteful toward it.

"L-Lily?" he sputtered incredulously, "J-Just what're you thinkin'-?"

"Oh, come off it mate," Natsu said good-naturedly, clapping his shipmate on the shoulder, "I think it's a fine nickname! Besides, doesn't Levy call him that all the time anyway?"

Gajeel shot his captain an acidic look and crossed his thick arms as the group continued on their way. Leaning toward Natsu, Lucy asked, "Who's Levy?"

"Levy McGarden. She's a girl that lives back at Headquarters… a girl that Gajeel has taken quite a liking to, if I do say so myself," Natsu whispered back. The other must have choked on his own saliva, because now he was sputtering and staring at Natsu as if he had grown a second head. The pinkette ignored him though and continued.

"She's kind of like you, what with having an obsession of books and all. I think you two would get along swimmingly," he added with a wink.

Lucy felt a light dusting of a blush color her cheeks and she laughed softly. She would have never pegged Gajeel the kind of man who would go for a studious type of girl. He just seemed so… mean. Then again, Lucy barely knew the man at all so who was she to criticize him?

This Levy McGarden sounded interesting though and made Lucy wonder...

"What do you mean by Headquarters?"

"Tenrou Island. It's where we've made a home for everyone who's a part of the _FairyTail_ crew. We're mainly a group of young misfits or orphans, but there are some older people that are a part of the gang as well. For example: there is Master Makarov Dreyar, the Duke of Tenrou in his own right. He acts as a sort of leader to guide us on the right path, and he also happens to be an old man," Natsu chuckled at this quietly before continuing, "He's an inspiration to us all though. He's the kind of person who is able to love and believe in others, even if they themselves don't. He can be a bit eccentric and somewhat of a pervert, but that doesn't change the fact that he's a good man."

Lucy felt herself smiling again as she listened to Natsu's affectionate musings of Makarov. It was obvious he adored the man by the manner in which he spoke of him, just like he had when he talked about Igneel. It seemed as if though Makarov served as a sort of surrogate second father to the pink-haired youth.

"What are you grinning about?" Natsu suddenly asked in a playful manner and nudged her with an elbow. Lucy shook her head and took a step away from him, feigning a fearful look.

"I am not grinning, you creep."

Natsu's face fell and he looked slightly crestfallen, "C-Creep…? Now see here-"

"Are you always an idiot, or is that only when I'm around?" Gajeel suddenly said scathingly, "If you want that 'disguise' of yours to work, then either speak in that ridiculous way you always do, or keep your mouth shut. Though, I'd prefer it if you'd just not speak at all."

Lucy cringed as she thought about how Natsu might react in regards to Gajeel's rude demeanor, but she was surprised when the pinkette simply sighed and shook his head.

"Poor Gajeel," he said, directing his attention to the blue cat perched on his shoulder, "He has such an inferiority complex… which is completely justified, wouldn't you say Happy?"

Gajeel rolled his eyes, "Your mouth is getting too big for your muzzle, Dragneel."

Natsu shot his black-haired companion a dark look, "You definitely grow on people. Like an ugly wart."

"Boys," Lucy interrupted calmly, positioning herself in-between them, "You two seem like rather _refined_ men, so _play_ _nice_."

Both men snorted and looked away from one another in contempt. Natsu was right: he neither got along with Gray or Gajeel... _Well_ at least. Perhaps it was because their names both started with a "G"?

Lucy silently laughed at her own thoughts and turned to her right to look up at the crimson-eyed man who was busying himself in scratching Pantherlily's chin. She remembered how Natsu had mentioned saving him from the death penalty in this country, with the aid of Gray of course, and it had her wonder...

"Say, Mr. Redfox," Lucy asked slowly; the man merely grunted, "if you don't mind my asking, why were you sentenced to death here in Midi? Natsu told me about it, but of course since it's none of our business, he didn't say much-"

"Don't let him fool you in thinking he's some sort of gentleman," Gajeel interrupted curtly, "You're right though; It's none of your business, but seeing as how you're not as annoying as that bastard over there," he jerked his chin in Natsu's direction, "I guess I can tell you."

Lucy forced a smile while Natsu made a loud and disapproving snorting sound. Gajeel ignored him and cleared his throat.

"Midi is ruled using a crude – but effective – system. A ruler is chosen every eight years through means of combat." Lucy felt her eyes widen in surprise, but Gajeel continued without looking at her, "Whoever can prove their strength has the right to take command. Anyone can bid for the crown, but no more than ten people are allowed to make a stake, which is fine since usually no more than five people join in. Now during the fight, there are three rules which basically are: one: no weapons are allowed. Two: No one may assist you. And three: _Never_ kill your opponent. If you break any of these rules, you will be sentenced to death.

"So you can probably imagine what happened to me," he finished.

Lucy could only stare blankly, completely in shock.

'_Who in the world would create such a dogma? Fighting in order to become the king…? That doesn't really make any sense. Then again, regular society isn't exactly brilliant either. Just because you are born into royalty doesn't necessarily mean you're going to become a great ruler.'_

Of course you could be trained to do so… But the men around here – or women – had no experience in ruling a country whatsoever. However, it didn't matter what Lucy thought. She had been raised in an entirely different world than these people.

"So… I suppose you made a bid for the right to rule over Midi… and you broke one of the laws?"

"More or less," Gajeel said with a shrug.

"But if you broke a rule… why would Natsu and Gray help you?"

"Remember I said that he was wrongly accused?" Natsu interjected quietly, keeping his voice low.

Lucy cast her attention back to him, suddenly remembering his words.

"_I found him just south of Minstrel in a newer country known as Midi. He was to be hanged based on false information…"_

Lucy nodded in understanding, "That's right… but how did you know?"

Natsu grinned and cast his eyes forward once more, "Let's just say that Gajeel owes Levy his life."

The other man snorted but didn't deny anything.

"So what happened exactly? What rule did you break?" the blonde inquired further.

"I accidently killed one of my opponents. There was something physically wrong with him though. I don't know all the details: the girl does though. Just ask _her_ when we get to Tenrou, if you're so interested," the raven said coarsely.

Lucy blanched at the dark idea of taking the life of another human being. To her, all life was sacred no matter what kind of person you were or weren't. Lucy wanted a large family… or, at least two or three children when she finally got married – to a husband that loved her _for_ her, and not someone who she had never met before. She wanted passion and romance, something she would never have received if she hadn't escaped Mercurius.

She sighed dreamily, catching the attention of Natsu and Gajeel.

"I didn't think you were in to the whole death and morbid topics kind of thing," Gajeel stated.

"Now who's being creepy?" Natsu added in playfully. Lucy groaned and slapped both of her companions on their arms.

"No, you fools. I'm just thinking about… Tenrou Island," she lied quickly… More or less. It definitely piqued her curiosity and she greatly desired to see the place, but it wasn't exactly on her top subjects of thought at the moment…

It wasn't like she couldn't very well tell these two men her most intimate dreams; especially Gajeel. More than likely he would just make fun of her some more and insult her. Natsu… Well, she still wouldn't risk it.

The pinkette smirked but held his tongue as the trio – and duo of cats – arrived near a store that appeared to be selling metal and wood and the like.

Gajeel jerked his head and pointed his thumb toward the large wooden sign that hung above it.

"We'll need more iron and wood so I can finish with those repairs to the ship," he said, turning to Natsu.

"I thought ye finished dem ages ago?"

"Aye, but I took the liberty in makin' a few upgrades to the hull. Reinforcements and the like," Gajeel clarified.

A wicked grin spread across Natsu's face, making the edges of his fake beard curl up comically, "Aye. Off you go then, lad. We'll see to the other things we be needin' for the trip home then."

Gajeel gave a curt nod before walking off toward the metalwork shop, leaving Natsu and Lucy alone to attend to the rest of the items needed.

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**EEEK! NaLu goodness _and_ a hint of Gale?! ACK! Now I'm gettin' all tingly ;)**

**I love you guys so much! Leave a review and tell me what you guys thought about this one! The next chapter is going to get pretty intense, so make sure you are equipped with an extra pair of underwear and socks... O_O**

**Lol just kidding. ;)**

**Ps. I'm going to be posting a chapter (or two if I'm feeling _fantastic!_) every Sat. from now on, probably no exceptions. I hope you guys can forgive me, but I'm going to become very busy in a few days! Anyway, I love you all my duckies, and I hope you enjoy the chappies to come! ;D**


	11. Chapter 11

**HELLO THERE AUDIENCE! :D**

**Okay, so that was a bit obnoxious...**

**Anyway! I know I've said this a million times already, but I _seriously_ can't say it enough: It is absolutely humbling that you guys are loving this story. I love YOU guys for loving this story. Seriously.**

**But don't get weird, 'kay? ;D**

**Just kidding. But in all seriousness, I honestly can't thank you enough for all of your kind reviews and such. It makes me so incredibly happy and inspires me to write even more. :) I'm glad there's been some critics as well! It's given me more ideas in what I can input into the story, and I have new ideas to incorporate! ;)**

**Ahem. But of course you don't want to read this part... SO ON WITH THE STORY! ;D**

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**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL. -_- I love it though ;)**

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**Chapter 11**

Lucy and a disguised Natsu made their way to several stores, purchasing a vast amount of different foods and refreshments through means of trade and coin. Natsu demonstrated how to effectively haggle items that were considered outrageously expensive and when he allowed Lucy to try, both were astonished to find that she was actually quite skilled at it.

"I had no idea," Natsu had mused as they left for another shop, "You're almost as good as Gajeel when it comes to this sort of thing. Although, Gajeel tends to use a bit more… force. And intimidation. You use your feminine charm and appeal to your advantage."

Lucy had blushed at his comments, but was relieved that she could help in any way she could. It didn't sit right with her that she was basically freelancing off of Natsu and his crew.

Several shops did not have a bartering system however, so they were forced to expend some coin, particularly when it came to the vegetables and meats.

They carried most of the merchandise themselves, but once their packs were full, Natsu threw in extra payment to have the goods delivered to his ship. Lucy had been surprised to see that he was in possession of several gold and silver pieces, although the most money the merchants ever asked for were twenty copper pieces.

Natsu had noticed her curious stare and smiled down at her, "What ye be starin' at, lass? This 'ole cap'n may look a wee bit dingy, but I have me ways of collecting coin, I do."

Lucy had struggled to keep in a laugh, "And what ways may that be, if you don't mind my asking, Captain?"

"I'll explain once we arrive to our final location," he answered seriously, speaking quietly so he could talk without having to use his crude and counterfeit accent. Lucy simply nodded.

As they approached the last shop, the older woman working seemed to recognize Natsu and immediately smiled when she saw him.

"Natsu! 'Tis been a long time since ye've come 'round these parts. How're ye doin'? Is Gajeel along with ye?"

Natsu smiled and greeted her by grasping her forearm, "Aye, that it has, an' yer lookin' as young as ever milady," she blushed and placed a hand on her cheek before Natsu continued, "The lad is off doin' his metal an' woodwork. Ye know how he is when it comes to that sorta thing. Goes over me head, it does."

The lady laughed and nodded, spotting Lucy right behind him, "An' who might this young lass be, Cap'n? Don't tell me she's another one of yer hostages."

Said girl laughed and shook her head, taking a few steps forward so she was in clear view. The lady had dark graying hair and was slightly rotund, but she had a kind face that was in stark contrast to the men Lucy had seen at the other shops. The smells that came from inside her market were divine, making Lucy's stomach rumble.

"Hello, my name is Lucy Ashley. It is a pleasure to meet you, madam," the blonde held a hand out over the counter toward the slightly taken aback woman.

"Beautiful, polite _an'_ smart; a potent combination methinks. Where did ye come from dearie?" the lady asked after taking Lucy's hand and shaking it firmly.

"I picked her up in Fiore," Natsu answered quickly, "She was lookin' for an adventurin' an' asked if she could tag along with me an' the lads. So bein' the gentleman I am, I says to her that I be willin' to make a bargain."

The lady gave a knowing smile, "Of _course_ it wasn't because she be better lookin' than the queen of Joya herself." Lucy smiled and blushed, casting her eyes to the ground in embarrassment.

"Course not," Natsu scoffed, waving a hand.

The woman snorted and then turned her attention back to Lucy, "'Tis a pleasure to meet ye, Miss Ashley. Please take care of this 'ole' codger. He can be a bit reckless."

Lucy laughed, "I'll do my best, madam."

"Alright, that'd be enough of that," Natsu interrupted, "On to business, ye meddler. I be needin' a double order of dry an' fresh bread, please an' thank ye."

The lady rolled her eyes but nodded nonetheless and disappeared into her shop in a flurry. Lucy giggled when Happy stretched from his position atop Natsu's shoulder and poked at her with his small paw, asking for attention. She reached up to scratch at his chin and the blue cat started to purr loudly, arching his neck into her hand.

Natsu turned his head slightly and watched her, his characteristic grin spreading across his face.

"He likes you."

Lucy smiled back, "Did I ever tell you that he slept with me the first night I stayed aboard the _FairyTail_?"

"No, you didn't," he answered back, mildly surprised. "What brought that up all of a sudden?"

Lucy shrugged, "I don't know. It's just that… my father never allowed pets into our home, so I never had that kind of experience before."

He chuckled, "That's a shame, but Happy isn't a pet; he's a friend."

As if agreeing with his master, Happy reached out his paw again and tapped it against Lucy's cheek, earning another giggle and ear rub from the girl. Just then the lady reappeared carrying out a small package that had been wrapped in brown paper.

"Alright, I gots it all handled," she said, handing over the package to Natsu. "My boy'll be sendin' it on over to yer ship ina bit. That there is a lil' somethin' for Happy there."

Natsu smiled his appreciation and inclined his head in a small bow, "Thank ye kindly, milady. Happy'll enjoy this, eh 'ole boy?"

Both Lucy and the older lady laughed when Happy reached down and swiped at the package in his master's hand, mewling as he did so. Natsu grinned and scratched his furry friend on the top of his head after paying the woman handsomely.

"Thank ye kindly again, milady. We best be on our way now. Take care!"

"Goodbye, madam!" Lucy added with a wave as they both turned to leave. The woman smiled and waved back.

"See ya later! And don't be gettin' yerself into any trouble, ya hear Natsu? Best take care of that little lass there!"

He laughed and raised his hand above his head in a farewell gesture, leading the way back to the metalwork shop.

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By the time Lucy and Natsu had returned to the shop, the sun had already reached its highest point in the sky and Gajeel was nowhere to be seen. When Lucy questioned Natsu about it, he shrugged nonchalantly.

"He's more than likely inside, exchanging ship measurements with the metalworker. It takes a while to order the right amount; plus, you have to consider carting it on over to the ship. It's heavy, so it takes a few men at a time in order to haul it all aboard," he had explained.

As the pair waited just outside the shop, a large group of Midi guards sauntered about nearby, laughing obnoxiously while waving around their alcoholic flaskets in wild excitement. Lucy tried to pay them no mind when they noticed her; a few even made attempts to draw her attention by calling out to her haughtily.

"Lucy," Natsu suddenly said, "Are they bothering you?"

The blonde glanced up at her companion quickly when she heard the dark tone in his voice. He was staring at the men who were harassing her, yet his eyes never betrayed him. They were completely placid, void of any emotion whatsoever… which only made him appear all the more frightening.

"N-No, it's fine… I'm fine, Natsu."

"Hey," a familiar gruff voice called from behind the pair. Both Lucy and Natsu turned to face the owner of said voice and the blonde was overjoyed to see that it was none other than Gajeel.

"I need your help in there," the raven said, jerking his head in the direction of the shop. "This bastard ain't cuttin' me any slack and we're short on hands."

Natsu sighed, nodded resignedly and turned to face Lucy once more, "I'll be right back, okay? If there's anything you need- No… If there's any trouble, just shout out for me, alright? I'll be right by your side in an instant. I promise."

Lucy smiled weakly and nodded, "Alright… I trust you."

He smiled back and shot one last dark look over his shoulder at the group of men, before disappearing with Gajeel behind the shop.

Lucy sighed and folded her arms across her chest, trying to fight the sudden fear that clawed at her stomach. Until now, she hadn't realized just how much trust she had actually put in the pink-haired captain and now that he was no longer present…The blonde shivered, despite the warmth the sun provided.

She inwardly screamed when three of the men started to approach her.

"Hey little- _*hic*_ -lady," one said drunkenly. His companions laughed at him raucously while he stared Lucy up and down like she was some sort of rare delicacy.

"H-Hello," she stammered, trying not to make eye contact with the man. She nearly gagged when he stopped in front of her; he reeked of alcohol. It was as if he had been bathing in it or something.

He grinned wolfishly, "You- _*hic*_ -n-new 'round these here parts?"

Lucy discreetly wrinkled her nose in disgust and backed away, nodding her head. His ratty brown hair was plastered to his sweaty forehead and his uniform was slightly mussed in some areas.

The man saluted her and stumbled slightly as he did so, earning another round of laughter from his unruly companions.

"Well then, welcome to the Iron- _*hic* -_ City of M-Midi. Would you care for a- _*hic*_ -tour?"

His speech was incredibly slurred and he tripped over his own tongue several times before he managed to actually finish what he was saying. Lucy shook her head again, knowing exactly what would happen if she went _anywhere_ with this man, not that she would even dare.

"No, thank you. I'm actually here with two others; we were just stopping into port so we could restock our supplies. In fact, they should both be back any moment now," she tried to make it sound intimidating, but with the way her treacherous voice squeaked, she knew she wasn't fooling anyone. The men simply laughed once again and advanced further upon her.

"Hear that? She doesn't wanna go with you, Gannon," one of the men said.

"It's not smart to say no to him, little lady. He doesn't handle rejection very well," the other chimed in.

Lucy kept backing away until she felt her back collide softly with the wall of the metalwork shop. She was trapped: all three men were now flanking her from every side, blocking off any route to escape.

"P-Please… leave me alone," she whispered meekly. This was the reason she did not trust men. When they were drunk, they were filthy pigs that only cared about one thing. The one called Gannon grinned and reached out his hand toward her body…

She couldn't think. She couldn't scream. Her throat was dry as the fear consumed her every fiber. Since she had been a princess of Fiore, she was not accustomed to dealing with such behavior from perverted men. She hardly knew what to do when it came to these sorts of things and she barely knew how to defend herself, since her father would never allow her to wield a weapon.

What was going to happen to her…?

"If you value that hand, I would recommend not touching her. Unless you want it lying on the ground at your feet of course," a deep and menacing voice suddenly said from nearby.

Lucy gasped when she instantly recognized who it belonged to and she slowly opened her tightly shut eyes. Natsu and Gajeel were standing just to the right of the trio of men, their hands on their swords challengingly. Natsu's face was absolutely livid with anger and Gajeel actually looked almost as serious.

"What the hell did you just say to me trash?" Gannon asked, turning to face the guised pinkette. The other narrowed his obsidian orbs dangerously.

"I'll make it perfectly clear to you since you obviously didn't catch the hint the first time: if you don't let her pass, then I swear to the heavens above, I will cleave off your hand from your forearm and watch as you lay writhing in agony on the ground. Decide."

Lucy felt herself tremble slightly at Natsu's gruesomely sinister words, but nonetheless released a broken and heavy sigh of relief as the men parted in stunned silence. She pushed passed them and collided with Natsu's firm figure, enveloping him in a tight hug.

"Thank you..." she whispered. He didn't say a word as he gently pried himself out of her grasp and nudged her behind him. The three men were quickly joined by their comrades as soon as they had heard the threat, easily outnumbering the group from _FairyTail_- seven to three.

"Lucy," Natsu suddenly said quietly, "I want you to turn around and head back to the ship, alright? Do not linger."

"What? But Natsu-"

"Just do it!" he commanded sharply.

A man wearing a blue captain's uniform cast a sharp glance at Lucy first and then Natsu, staring at the _FairyTail_ captain in poorly hidden shock.

"Natsu…? Such a rare and uncommon name. You wouldn't by chance be Natsu _Dragneel_, would you?"

The men around him murmured amongst themselves, their eyes widening and their mouths dropping open.

"N-No way-!"

"He can't be… Isn't he supposed to have pink hair?"

"It could be a wig, you know."

"Now that you mention it…"

"Isn't he from the Country of Fire?"

"Yeah, I heard that too!"

"You loathsome _idiots_!" the blue-clad captain hissed impatiently, "He's not _just_ from the Country of Fire; he's their p-"

Natsu tensed, but before the captain could finish his sentence, Gajeel lunged toward him and slammed his sheathed sword into the side of his face, effectively silencing him. The men gaped in surprise but quickly recovered and erupted into scattered chaos, drawing their own weapons and engaging the raven in combat as well as the guised captain of _FairyTail_.

Natsu cursed under his breath and drew his sword. To Lucy, the handle seemed simple enough, but the silver blade itself was long and elegantly curved, with strange symbols and runes etched on either side of it.

He expertly blocked a series of slashes, swinging his own weapon up in a quick barrage of counterattacks that left his opponent winded and wide-open. Using the hilt of his sword, Natsu made quick work of him by lunging forward and ramming the weapon into his enemy's gut, sending him sprawling backward in pain. The pinkette had no time to celebrate his victory however, as more men descended upon him with their weapons raised at the ready.

"Lucy!" Natsu yelled over the chaotic shouts and battle cries, "Go; flee to the ship now and tell Gray what's happening!"

He grunted as he defended himself against a giant brute of a man, but Lucy didn't recognize him to be a part of the original group of soldiers.

'_So there are _more_ of them coming in?!'_

"Go, Lucy! _Now_!" Natsu shouted one last time over his shoulder. She nodded dumbly and quickly scooped up Happy, who had leapt off of his master's shoulder as soon as the scuffle had started, and made haste for the _FairyTail_. She paused when she heard a loud animalistic yowl sound behind her and turned her head to see Pantherlily running up behind her determinedly.

The feline leapt high into the air and clawed his way up to her shoulder. Pain tore through Lucy's arm and back as Lily situated himself carefully on his new perch, but the blonde had no time to complain. More men were steadily pouring in, seemingly out of nowhere, and joining their comrades to fight both Gajeel and Natsu.

Lucy squealed in surprise when she was abruptly stopped by someone grabbing a fistful of her blonde locks, fisting them tightly in their hand.

"And where do you think _you're_ going, gorgeous?"

Wrenching her head to the side in order to see whose face belonged to the wretched voice, Lucy cried out in pain as the man from before – Gannon – tugged sharply on her hair.

'_W-What?! I thought he was drunk-!?'_

"Now now, let's play nice. Your little friends over there can't help you now, can they? You're all alone and no one is going to come and save you this time."

As if determined to prove the dastardly man wrong, Pantherlily leapt from Lucy's shoulder and savagely clawed at Gannon's face, yowling in rage. Happy joined in seconds later and together the two cats managed to ward off the man, giving Lucy the advantage she needed. With as much strength as she could muster, the princess swiftly brought up her leg in a vicious swing and brutally kicked the man in the genitals.

He screamed in further agony and clamped his legs together, crumpling to the ground with a solid thud. Pantherlily and Happy leapt off of him and snorted their disgust, glancing at one another victoriously.

"Good job boys," Lucy said breathlessly, scooping them up in her arms once again and resuming her escape. To her dismay though, her exit had been blocked off by a large group of soldiers standing guard. They all wore heavy-looking silver armor with helmets to match and each one had both a spear and sword in hand.

"Well, well, well," a man coming forward from the ranks said slowly, "What do we have here? A pretty little girl with her two little kitty cats, eh? How adorable. I'm sorry my dear, but you're not going anywhere. You have been branded an enemy of Midi and your chances of escape are less than zero. Surrender now and I promise we won't do anything _too_ terribly damaging to your body."

Lucy felt her face scrunch in contempt as the man eyed her suggestively. Happy growled low in the back of his throat while Pantherlily hissed his defiance, lashing out his paw with his claws unsheathed as if daring the man to advance any further.

The blonde glared at the man in front of her, "Let me pass. My group and I have done nothing wrong! You soldiers are the ones who started it."

"That may be true, but your man over there drew first blood. Aside from that, the Prince of Pergrande has decided to grace our city with his generous presence."

Lucy swore her heart stopped beating at that very moment. The world seemed to go black for a few moments before she blinked a few times to clear the fog from her vision. The Prince of Pergrande…

Pergrande.

The County of Fire.

Natsu _Dragneel_.

The princess drew in a ragged breath when she finally put the broken pieces together.

Natsu was the prince of the Fire Country, Pergrande. That was why he had acted so strangely when she had inquired about his identity. That was the reasoning he had on wearing a disguise… Well. Another reason at least.

She _knew_ she had recognized his name before, though why she had not pieced it all together sooner was beyond her. But how in Earthland could he be the _prince_?

The armored man noticed her hesitation and a slow grin formed on his face, "Oh, I see. You didn't know, did you? Yes. Natsu Dragneel is the forsaken prince of the Fire Country, cast aside like common street filth when Fire Lord Igneel disappeared seven years ago. Everyone is familiar with this story, but judging from your reaction, it appears this is the first time you've heard it for yourself."

Lucy shook her head in confusion, unnerved by this new revelation. Her trust and faith in him had been shaken, hanging precariously on the edge of a knife. Could she really trust him, or had he really just been deceiving her the entire time? Albeit she hadn't been with him long, she still felt the sour taste of betrayal sting the back of her throat.

'_No… He's never actually _lied_ to me… He just cleverly avoided in revealing the entire truth.'_

And now that she thought about it… It was true.

"_By the way, my name is Natsu. Natsu Dragneel."_

"_My name is… Lucy. Lucy… Ashley. Nice to officially meet you…"_

He had told her his true name while _she_ had been the one to deceive. When she had questioned him about his eloquence, he had turned the tables and questioned her instead, leading to his knowledge about her noble birth. If there was anyone to blame for deception, should she not be the one marked?

'_He is _not_ to blame. I cannot allow this man to doubt my belief in my friends so easily.'_

Natsu was a trustworthy man and she knew what she had to do in order to prove it. She took a few steps away from the man and held her head high in opposition, challenging him to follow her.

"You cannot run, girl," he said, pursuing her slowly.

Lucy shook her head and drew in a massive amount of air into her lungs before screaming out Natsu's name as loud as her voice would allow. The man before her looked completely bewildered and stared at her blankly.

"What in God's name do you think you're doing, girl? He's not going to come and save you-"

"I _know_ he will," Lucy interrupted defiantly, "We're friends and he would never abandon me."

"Ignorant child. He's a spoiled prince that cares nothing for himself-"

"You have no idea what kind of person Natsu is!" Lucy shouted back angrily, "Prince or not, he's still proven himself to be a loyal friend, especially in a time of crisis! He's already saved me once. I have no doubt he will certainly do it again!"

As if on cue, Natsu's voice shouted heatedly from behind her.

"Lucy, get down!"

The blonde didn't waste a second on immediately crouching down to the ground and covering both Happy and Lily with her upper body. Seconds later, the princess heard a strange hissing noise that steadily increased into a loud roar, followed by a mild burning sensation on her back; it felt as if she were standing next to a blazing furnace of fire. She didn't dare look up as the men in armor screamed in terror, clanking about as they moved in frenzied agony.

"N-No, stop!"

"It _hurts_!"

"Somebody help us!"

"He's- He's a _monster_!"

With that last statement, Lucy peeked up from her position on the ground and looked about her in disbelieving awe.

The soldiers were no longer in an organized group, but instead scattered about randomly, trying desperately to rid themselves of their red-hot armor. The entirety of the area had been completely charred and several patches in the scorched earth were still very much aflame.

It was as if the ground had spontaneously caught fire, but Lucy knew that had not been the case. Somehow… she knew Natsu had been the cause of it.

"Lucy! Are you okay?" Said man came jogging up behind her, crouching down and placing his hands gently on her shoulders.

"I… I think so. Thank you," she said, still stunned. She looked down in her lap as Pantherlily and Happy both sneezed in unison after rubbing their faces with their paws. She laughed in hysterics and cast her incredulous gaze on the disguised pinkette.

His face had become even dirtier since donning his deceptive outfit and his clothes were torn in several new places, but other than that, he seemed fine. Lucy grasped his muscular forearm and stared at him hard, forgetting the situation they were in at the moment. She wanted answers.

"You… You're the prince-?"

He stiffened and narrowed his eyes infinitesimally.

"…Seriously? That's the first thing you say after witnessing… _that_?" he asked quizzically, gesturing at the blackened earth and the flailing guards surrounding them.

Lucy released a shaky laugh and shook her head, "How… How in Earthland did you _do_ that? I've never seen anything like that in my entire life…!"

"I'll explain everything once we're on the ship, okay? Right now, we need to get out of here."

Lucy tried to protest, but he clamped a smooth hand over her lips.

"Lucy, _please_. I promise… I _swear_ I'll tell you everything you want to know once we get aboard the _FairyTail_, okay? Please trust me."

Closing her eyes, Lucy exhaled through her nose and managed a feeble nod, trying to ignore the pleasant feelings running through her stomach, despite the situation they were in.

"Hey! C'mon already, you idiot! We need to get the hell outta here before more guards show up!" Gajeel shouted from where he stood near the pier. At the sound of his master's voice, Lily squirmed out of Lucy's hands and took off toward his human. A few other crew members stood nearby the pier, glancing around nervously as if they were expecting trouble any moment.

"We're coming, hold on!" Natsu shot back irritably. Grasping Lucy from underneath her arms, he lifted her gently to her feet and took Happy from her.

"Can you walk, or do you need me to carry you?" he asked when she swayed a bit.

"I can manage," she replied, "but I could use your help."

She leaned against him for support after he set Happy down on the ground. Gingerly, he wrapped one arm around her waist and drew her own thin arm around his neck so he could help her walk. Together, they made their way toward the ship, boarding quickly as more guards arrived.

Before long, Natsu had the _FairyTail _back into open water and they were once again rocking about on the soft waves of the sea.

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**Holy bologna! That chapter was really fun to write :)**

**I hope you guys enjoyed that one! ;D This was for the day I missed on Sat., so yeah... I apologize, but I couldn't seem to figure out how I wanted it written. So far, this is the longest chapter which I am totally proud of!**

**I've estimated that this story will actually be around 50 chapters... since they're so short and all. The more the merrier though, I say! :D**

**Again, I really hope you guys enjoyed this latest chapter. Leave a review and tell me what you think! ;D I'm dying to know.**

**As a teaser... the next chapter will have a TON of NaLu fluff! ;D Mwahahaha! Ah. I'm already gettin' smacked in the feels pretty hard.**

**ANYWAY! I love you guys so much! Cheers!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello there Audience!**

**So once again there is a new chapter filled with humorous NaLu goodness! ECK! I loved writing this chapter hehe ;) 'Tis by far the longest one I've written.**

**Thank you all SO friggin' much on the compliments and positive reviews! I love you all so much and now I reward you with an extra long chappy! I hope you enjoy! :D**

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**Disclaimer: ...We've been over this.**

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**Chapter 12**

_Dear Mama,_

_I don't know where to begin. There are so many thoughts running through my mind at the moment, it's all I can do to sort through them all and pick a single topic…_

_Yesterday, Natsu, Mr. Redfox, Lily, and Happy and I, went into port to gather supplies in the Iron City of Midi. It was a small town – not exactly classified a city – but it was wonderful all the same to see. You know how I've always wanted to visit another location._

_Anyway, while Natsu and I bought food and drink, Mr. Redfox stayed behind at a metalwork shop so he could finish his work in upgrading the ship. After a few hours into our trip and a successful round of bartering (which I found I'm particularly skilled at), Natsu and I headed back to meet up with Mr. Redfox. However, when we arrived back at the metalwork shop, Mr. Redfox had yet to finish up his business and required Natsu's help in order to complete his task. Before he left with Mr. Redfox however, a group of atrocious men gathered in front of the shop and started to harass me. Natsu said should there be any trouble, to shout out to him if I so desired and that he would be by my side in an instant._

_Yet, when he left… I don't know, Mama. This unexplainable fear suddenly came over me and I couldn't scream or even move, and the group of soldiers nearly had their way with me when they approached me. It is thanks to Natsu and Mr. Redfox arriving just in the nick of time that I still have my virtue and innocence intact. I'm still not sure how they knew I was in danger, but I'm guessing it is just another part of the mystery that is starting to unravel here._

_While Natsu and Mr. Redfox fought off all of the soldiers – with even more steadily shuffling in – Natsu ordered me to run away and alert Mr. Fullbuster as to what was happening on shore. But before I could, I was stopped twice: once by the man who had tried to do away with me (his name was Gannon or something like that, but Lily and Happy helped me to take care of him), and the second time, I was stopped by a group of heavily armored soldiers._

_I discovered from one of these soldiers that Natsu- Well, he's actually the Fire Country's prince. I know, I was shocked as well, and the soldier nearly convinced me to lose faith in him, but I _know_ he is a good man. I was actually disappointed in myself that he shook my convictions so easily, but I was also proud that I could rebuff the spiteful man by enlightening him on the good qualities that my pink-haired friend has._

_When I told the man as much, Natsu suddenly appeared out of nowhere…_

_Mama… I think... I think he can use Magic. It's the only logical way to explain how he did what he did. Somehow, he was able to ignite the surface area the soldiers had been standing on which then caused their armor to superheat and severely burn their skin. It sounds farfetched, even to my ears, and if I had not witnessed it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it either._

_I know it is completely different than the Magic you used, but there is no other logical explanation as to how he managed to do what he did. And if he _can_ use Magic… perhaps he could teach _me_ how to utilize it…? After all, I am your daughter and Magic Power transcends through the generations even if only one parent is a Magic user. Isn't that what you taught me, Mama?_

_After Natsu had rescued me for the second time that day, he swore to me that he would reveal everything once we were safely aboard the ship. And he would have done so yesterday had it not been for the fact that he had been wounded during the scuffle-_

Lucy paused in her writing and inhaled a shaky breath as she recalled the memory…

_-__**Yesterday**__-_

"All clear, Cap'n. There doesn't appear to be anyone tailing us," Gray called down from the lookout while examining the waters for any enemy ships.

"Why would we need to worry about anyone following us anyway?" Lucy asked Natsu from where she stood next to him on the bridge. "I don't recall seeing any ships large enough to initiate a pursuit."

"Because they can always send a message to a nearby country requesting aid to give chase," Natsu answered distantly. Lucy turned to her head to eye her companion, curious at his tone of voice, and was horrified to see a small puddle of blood at his feet.

"C-Captain?"

"What is it?" he inquired without looking at her. She firmly gripped his left forearm and tugged it away from the wheel, earning a surprised look from the pinkette.

"You're bleeding… Heavily, I might add," she whispered, still staring at the puddle of scarlet liquid.

Natsu glanced down at himself and cursed audibly. With unhurried movement, he casually tossed off his hat and bandana/hair and beard combo, stripped off his filthy jacket and flung it off to the side, relieved himself of his weapons, and finally managed to open both of his mangled shirts to reveal a thick but short horizontal slice just above his bellybutton.

"That's lovely," he commented sarcastically. Lucy felt the bile rise up from her stomach and she turned away, placing a hand to her mouth in disgust. She had never seen a flesh wound before but she had always been curious about it. Now that she had though, and on her friend no less…

"Oh, that's disgusting," she muttered, fighting the urge to vomit.

"Hm… Indeed. With that being said, I'm going to have this tended to by the onboard surgeon," Natsu said, a grin on his unusually pale face, "You're welcome to follow if you want, or you can go back to my quarters to wash up. It's your call."

Lucy shook her head and held up a hand in his direction as if commanding him to stay right where he was. He didn't move an inch.

"N-No, I think I'll just go and bathe. You go ahead and get yourself patched up; then we can talk… Right?"

"…Right."

_-__**Present**__-_

Lucy sighed and leaned back in the wooden chair she was sitting on, bringing up her slender legs and placing her feet on the seat while wrapping her arms around her knees. Sure she had bathed and rid herself of the dirt and grime that had accumulated on her skin while she had been in the Iron City, but that had been an entire day ago. Night was once upon her again and she still had yet to receive word from him or even see his face.

She knew she shouldn't worry since he apparently did this sort of thing on a daily basis, according to Gajeel, but he was still someone she cared about; so how could she not worry? Lucy sighed and picked up her quill once again, quickly dabbing it in ink before setting it to paper once more.

_Mama, if it is true that he can use Magic, then I wish to learn how to use it for myself. I know that it is not the kind of life you would like me to lead: you would rather me live in a large comfortable home with a loving husband and several children running about… But I would have this no other way. You were a Mage in your own right and I wish to follow the same path. Who is to say that I will not meet a man in this way as well? You certainly did, even if that man happened to be cruel and terrible indeed. You once held him high in your heart though as did I, so I shall not fret._

_I still have your keys that you left to me when you passed – as I always will, no matter what – and I still remember their names: Cancer the Giant Crab, Aquarius the Water Bearer, and Capricorn the Goat. You taught me their individual names, but why did you not inform me about their power? I'm clueless as to what they will provide for me… I just hope Natsu will be able to tell me more-_

Lucy was interrupted from her writing once more when a knock sounded at the double doors. The blonde quickly flipped shut her diary and leapt from the chair to throw on her night robe as hastily as possible, all the while throwing her diary into her bag and kicking it underneath the cot.

"Yes, come in!" she called breathlessly, smoothing out her hair with a dainty hand.

The doors opened gently to reveal Natsu in all of his bare-chested and torso bound glory, followed by another man whom Lucy did not recognize.

"Thank you, Silver, that will be all," Natsu said over his shoulder to the man. The other nodded and turned to leave but paused in the doorway, glancing at Lucy and giving her a once-over.

"Miss, will you make sure he doesn't over-exert himself please? I understand he can be quite exuberant when it comes to his nightly activities, but try to make him take it easy tonight. His wounds haven't completely healed yet and-"

"_Thank you_, Mr. Silver!" Natsu interrupted before spinning the man around by his shoulders and pushing him out the door, slamming it shut afterward.

Lucy felt her face ignite crimson when she realized what Silver had meant and she turned around embarrassedly, playing with the neckline of her nightgown and fingering her robe.

"I apologize for that," Natsu said with a nervous chuckle, "I'm afraid he got the wrong impression."

"I-It's fine, Captain," Lucy stuttered before clearing her throat and turning around slowly to face him, "So, are you… well now?"

His entire lower torso had been tightly wrapped in bandages, but the bleeding had thankfully ceased. His abdominal muscles contracted when he laughed lightly and his previously pale – but now regular tan – face lit up with an easy smile.

"As well as ever, thank you, milady. But if you don't mind, I'd like to take a quick bath. I smell quite foul and I'd rather you not smell it for yourself."

Lucy nodded weakly and sat down on the cot immediately, diverting her attention to anything but the nearly half-naked captain.

"Y-Yes, of course."

Without saying anything else, Natsu turned on his booted heel and walked toward a chest sitting near the bathroom door that Lucy hadn't noticed before. When he opened it, she seen several articles of clothing, but nothing specific since she couldn't see very well in the dim lighting the oil lamps provided. Once he found what he was looking for, he shut the chest, straightened, and headed for the washroom, shutting the door behind him quietly.

"Will you- Um, will you take long?" Lucy called out, but then mentally berated herself. Why pester him with such things now when he had promised her that he would already?

"Dear Lucy," Natsu sighed dramatically behind the shut door, "Do you wish to give Mr. Silver the wrong impression after all? I have no objection in satisfying your every need, but he has a point you know. I won't be up to my full… exuberance, as he put it. However, you will find that I can still perform _exceptionally_ well, given the circumstan-"

"_Natsu_!" Lucy hissed, her face flaming up once again. Why in Earthland did he decide to be so playful and now of all times?!

The sound of the water roaring to life was what she was rewarded with, accompanied by the sound of muffled laughter.

"Relax… I promise I won't be too rough."

"I am _trying_ to be _serious_ here, sir!" she screeched again. He merely laughed harder.

"Alright, I'm sorry, honestly. Have patience: I'll be out soon enough and then we can talk, okay?"

"Okay," Lucy agreed with a huff.

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At the sound of the tub water being drained, Lucy glanced up from her book she had decided to read and stared intently at the washroom door. She sat up slowly from Natsu's cot when the knob turned and then audibly gulped when said man strode out in nothing but a pair of dark colored form fitting pants, his black leather boots donned on his feet, and his dirty clothing clutched in one hand.

Stray droplets made his tan skin glisten when the lamplight danced over his toned body, giving him an otherworldly appearance. His damp pink hair still defied gravity and remained spikier than ever but was nonetheless clean and dirt free as was his handsome face and the rest of his deliciously exposed skin-

Lucy cleared her throat and looked down at the floorboards when she felt the beginnings of a deep blush creep up the back of her neck. He didn't seem to notice though and he tossed his soiled clothing into an unknown corner of his quarters, all the while making his way toward her.

With a heavy but content sigh, he flopped himself down next to her and leaned his head back against the wall.

"So," he finally said, "Where do you want to start?"

"You're the prince," Lucy blurted, glancing at him dumbly but not risking the inevitable chance that she might look down farther than necessary…

Curses! Too late.

He chuckled quietly at her words, "Well, there's no point in denying it. Besides, I make it a habit not to lie. Aye, I am the prince of Pergrande; which is also known as the Fire Country."

Lucy nodded carefully, "What did- Um… What did that man mean by forsaken?"

Natsu's brow furrowed lightly in confusion, "I'm sorry, but what man do you speak of?"

"There was a man that was a part of that group of armored soldiers that you… burned. He said that you were 'the forsaken prince of the Fire Country' or something along those lines. What did he mean by that?" Lucy asked slowly, ignoring everything but her interest now. Natsu's jaw clenched and unclenched and he released another heavy sigh.

"…Do you remember when I spoke to you about my father?"

"Yes," Lucy answered immediately, recalling the memory perfectly, "His name is Igneel, correct?"

"Aye, that it is," Natsu replied with a grin, "You might recollect that I told you he adopted me at a very young age."

"When you were five; yes, I remember."

"Well, Igneel is the rightful Fire Lord of Pergrande- that is until he went missing seven years ago. Since Igneel adopted me into that sort of… life, many people doubted me due to the fact that we were not related by blood. You see, he never actually bore any children nor did he ever intend on doing so."

Lucy had turned her body toward her companion's as he spoke, giving him her full attention. She frowned at his last sentence and rubbed at her neck in thought.

"I know that expression," Natsu suddenly said teasingly, "Tell me what you're thinking."

Lucy looked up at his face and smiled hesitantly, "It's just… Why did he not want any blood-kin in the first place? What possessed him to adopt a child that was born outside of his royal circle? It hardly makes any sense."

Natsu looked down at his sheets and didn't speak for a long time. Several different expressions passed over his face, most of which were unfamiliar to Lucy, and he turned his head away and looked off into the dark corners of his quarters distantly. He brought up his right leg and dangled his right arm on his knee and finally heaved another sigh, puffing out his cheeks and exhaling slowly.

"Igneel… wasn't human."

Lucy blinked a few times before pursing her lips and slanting a brow, trying to process what he said with severe difficulty.

"What- …What do you-"

"Igneel wasn't human," Natsu repeated, turning his head to look at her. His face was completely serious and unflinching as he spoke. "Igneel… was a Dragon."

Now it was Lucy's turn to fall silent.

A _Dragon_? Seriously?

"Natsu… Dragons aren't- Dragons don't exist," the blonde said slowly, keeping her eyes on his face at all times. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his left hand and nodded his head.

"Yes, I'll admit that if someone said, 'hello, I was raised by a fire Dragon', I wouldn't really believe them either. But I swear that it's the absolute truth. I don't really have much evidence to prove it, other than the fact that I have… certain abilities of my own… but even then. To someone who doesn't understand-"

"Are you referring to Magic?" Lucy interrupted in mild excitement. His dark eyes widened and he straightened out his leg, turning his own body to face her.

"How do you know about Magic?"

"My… Mother. She used to be able to use Magic."

Natsu raised a speculative pink brow, "What do you mean used to? Does she not practice it anymore?"

Lucy shook her head and looked away from him, "No, she… She's gone. She was killed a long time ago when I was around my seventh year I believe."

At this new revelation, Natsu looked taken aback before he lowered his head in apology and respect.

"I'm sorry for your loss. Truly I am."

"Thank you," Lucy answered quietly before waving her hand, "Enough about the depressing topic though: What can you tell me about Magic?"

Natsu frowned at her sudden change of subject before he continued, "Well, you say your mother practiced Magic, so that essentially classifies you a Mage as well, even if you don't know how to utilize your Magic Power."

"How did you know I couldn't use Magic?"

"I can't sense any Magical Energy flowing through your body at the moment."

Lucy felt her head begin to spin, "Is that… somehow one of your abilities as a Mage?"

Natsu shrugged patiently, "No and yes. Personally, once I was able to control the flow of Magical Energy that streamed through my body, I was able to harness the ability to detect how much power someone wields. In your case, the container is completely empty."

Lucy tilted her head to the side, "So… are you saying that other Mages are able to determine the amount of Magic Power someone has? And what do you mean by 'container'?"

"Once a Mage is able to understand and properly control the flow of Magic, they are able to acquire this skill. So to answer your question bluntly: yes. Anyone is able to do this, as long as they are a Mage. Now to answer your second question," Natsu cleared his throat before continuing, "Every Mage is born with a certain container that gradually grows bigger depending on how much you exercise it, and of course it is also determined by age. For example: if you are a twelve year old child with a father incredibly skilled in Magic and is constantly training you, your container is likely to be exceptionally large."

Lucy giggled lightly, "Are you referring to yourself, Mr. Dragneel?"

Natsu grinned, "Aye, that I am milady."

"So what if someone isn't as lucky to have a Dragon for a father? What then?" she asked earnestly.

"That all depends on how often you train. See, it takes an enormous amount of concentration and mental ability to use Magic, but if you work on that through meditation, you should be able to get it in no time at all."

"Are you referring to Mages in general or are you solely referring to me alone?"

"You alone. You may not know how to use Magic yet, but I do not doubt your intelligence. You are an incredibly smart young woman, Miss Ashley, so I think you'll catch on rather fast," Natsu's grin spread and he folded his arms over his chest.

Lucy smiled back at him, "Alright, so when do I start?"

Natsu laughed and shook his head, "Easy now; it's not that simple. Do you even know what Magic is?"

Lucy shrugged after a moment and then shook her head slowly. Natsu laughed again.

"I figured as much. For starters, you need to understand that Magic is the physical embodiment of your soul. Magic Power is created through every living thing in the world: insects, plant life, animals… the earth itself even. Everything is energy that your container will absorb. In order to absorb the Magic Power, a physical spirit – which is you as a person – must connect with the spiritual flow of nature. Once you successfully make that connection, your spirit forms Magic as a product of that connection. Once your container is full, only then are you able to utilize Magic.

"Now, in order to actually use it, you must first train your mind and your body in unison. The weaker the mind and body, the weaker the Magic. In the event that a Mage's container becomes empty, they become severely weakened until they are able to absorb more Magic Power."

Natsu and Lucy both stared at one another in complete silence for a few moments after the pinkette had finally finished speaking, with Lucy staring disbelievingly at the other. She gave herself a firm shake and inhaled a deep ragged breath before nodding her head.

"So… in order to do all of that, I need to meditate first, right?"

"Yes."

"Alright, so how do I do that? It seems a little silly that that's all it takes in order to gain control over my Magic Power."

Natsu shook his head and frowned, "It's not as simple as you think. Even if you were to start tonight – which you won't since you're obviously too tired-" Lucy tried to protest, but Natsu clamped his long fingers over her mouth and pressed a long finger against his own lips to silence her.

"As I was saying," he continued with a stern look, "Even if you _were_ to start tonight and you somehow miraculously managed to fill your Magic container somewhat, I can guarantee that it would take at least a few months before you could actually _use_ any Magic."

At that, the pinkette removed his hand from her mouth and re-crossed his arms over his chest with a smug look on his tan face. Lucy narrowed her eyes and crossed her own arms.

"And why is that?" she asked doubtfully.

"Well, like I said: It's much harder than it sounds."

Lucy huffed and looked away stubbornly. After a few moments of silence, Natsu finally spoke back up again.

"So, what kind of Magic did you mother use?"

"I'm not exactly sure," the blonde answered truthfully, "but she had these golden keys with her… which reminds me of something."

Lucy got up from her spot on Natsu's cot and ducked underneath for her pigskin bag. Digging around until she felt what she was searching for, she pulled out a small folded up cloth and tossed her bag back underneath the cot. With excitement running high, she nearly pounced on top of Natsu in her haste to let him examine the contents of the wrapped cloth and the pinkette had to restrain a surprised laugh.

When he took the folded up cloth from Lucy, his fingers gently brushed against hers in the slightest way, causing the other to blush and nervously look elsewhere.

He seemed not to notice however and carefully unfurled the cloth to reveal three small golden keys that had different symbols on the ends of them.

"These are… Gate Keys, by the looks of it. I've only seen this type of Holder Magic once before, but instead of golden keys, they were silver," Natsu said distantly while still examining them.

"Holder Magic? What's that? And what do you mean Gate Keys? So there are more like these out there? Do you know how many? What about-"

"Whoa, easy! One question at a time please," Natsu protested jovially, grinning sideways at her. Lucy sighed but nodded all the same.

"Alright… Holder Magic: what is that exactly?"

"Holder Magic is Magic that requires a Mage to use an external source to produce the Magic. In the case of a Celestial Spirit Mage and their Gate Keys: depending on how many Gates are opened or how powerful the spirit is, the more Magic a Mage will use up. At least, I think that's how it goes for Spirit Mages."

Lucy scooted closer to the pinkette eagerly, "So, I'll be utilizing Holder Magic then."

He shrugged and nodded at the same time, "More than likely. Is your father a Mage as well or no?"

"No. Definitely not."

"Alright, then yes. You're definitely a Holder Type."

Lucy rubbed her chin thoughtfully and eyed the Gate Keys in Natsu's hand, "Is there more than one type or something?"

Natsu sighed and fingered the keys in his hand hesitantly before he spoke, "Aye. Ancient Spells can be cast and are pretty much self-explanatory. Then you have Lost Magic which is a type of Magic that has literally been lost from history due to the immense power it carries with it. However… a few users of such Magic still exist, though these wielders are extremely rare and very few in number. This Magic can be done without having to rely on an outside object. Such as these keys," Natsu dangled a key in front of his face and sighed again.

Lucy stared at him quizzically, "Why so melancholy all of a sudden?"

The pinkette snorted and let his head fall back against the wall behind him with a soft thud, his eyelids drooping slightly in the process.

"Not really melancholy," he mumbled back, "Just… I don't know. All this talk about Magic has me thinking about Igneel."

Lucy frowned and after a brief moment linked her arm with his and shyly leaned her head against his bare shoulder.

"…I'm really sorry about what's happened to him."

Before he could say anything, a sudden thought struck her and she inwardly cursed herself.

"Which reminds me… you never did finish telling me about the whole 'forsaken' thing."

Natsu laughed gently, "Aye. You became so interested in learning more about Magic… I honestly forgot too."

Lucy joined in his laughter and grinned up at him sheepishly, "I'm truly sorry about that. Care to continue where you left off?"

He smirked before taking a deep breath, "Well, like I said before: Igneel isn't human. He's a fire Dragon that took on the guise of a human and taught me everything that I know: how to read and write different languages, how to fight with a sword, how to survive in the wilderness by myself, how to sail and command a ship, and of course how to use Dragon Slayer Magic."

At that, Lucy's interest intensified and she sat erect, still arm-in-arm with the pinkette.

"Dragon Slayer Magic? What's that?"

Natsu laughed, "Are you ever going to let me finish? I'll tell you when I'm done explaining, I promise."

"Sorry, sorry," Lucy apologized quickly, slumping down and resuming her comfortable position once more. "Go on."

The pinkette laughed again and cleared his throat dramatically once more.

"As I was saying: Igneel had the appearance of a human and he ruled over the Fire Country. The knowledge of his true form was made privy to very few, as not many could be trusted with such information. Anyway, the main reason why I was labeled as 'forsaken' is mainly because once he went missing, the Lord Steward of Pergrande – Alden Tully – quickly took over the kingdom, seeking nothing but power and wealth. The greedy bastard. And since I was only twelve years old at the time, there was hardly anything I could do to stop him. In fact, there was virtually _nothing_ I could do to stop him.

"So I left Pergrande in search of my father, and since then I've gained new friends in the process and experienced so many different things in my life. To this very day I _still_ search for him, even though I can technically go back and reclaim the throne…"

With that, Natsu sighed and grew silent once more. Forgetting the Dragon Slayer Magic topic, Lucy felt a new question nag at her and she voiced it aloud after careful consideration.

"So… why _don't_ you go back?"

Suddenly, Natsu grinned and shook his head before looking down at her once more and nudging her with his elbow she still had her arm wrapped around.

"You only get one more question today and that's supposed to be about Dragon Slayer Magic. And don't even think about complaining. I'm tired and I want some sleep, as do you; I can tell."

Lucy felt her bottom lip jut out in a pout and she released his arm, turning away from him. She knew it had been an immature move, but it had been worth it to see his dumbfounded expression. Nonetheless, he began to speak anyway, albeit slowly.

"Dragon Slayer Magic is a type of Lost Magic that allows its user to transform their physical body in likeness to that of a Dragon's. Furthermore, a Dragon Slayer is able to transform their body and don features of their respective element, which can be used for both attacking and defending. In addition to this, a Dragon Slayer can also consume external sources of their natural element to replenish their own Magic Power and health."

Lucy felt her eyes widen and she turned around, immediately forgetting her mild irritation.

"So that means you don't have to wait for your container to re-fill if you ever find yourself low on Magic Power…?"

Natsu nodded, studying her reactions carefully, "That's right. On top of that, we're immune to the effects of our own element if it's ever used against us in battle or what have you. However, we can't consume what we produce ourselves. If we do… well… it's sort of like cannibalism. Anyway, Dragon Slayer Magic is extremely rare and can only be taught through either a Dragon or a Dragon Slayer. It's also the only way to injure or kill Dragons who are pretty much immune to any kind of Magic you could possibly think of."

Lucy shook her head and leaned it against the wall in the same fashion Natsu had been doing. All this new information she had recently learned had her feeling as if her brain were to explode at any moment… and she still had a million other questions to ask! Gate Keys: she definitely wanted – and needed – to know more about them. Natsu's Magic: it had to be fire, right? Obviously… he said that Igneel was a fire Dragon who had taught him Dragon Slayer Magic, so it _had_ to be fire. And it would also explain how he had burned those soldiers.

'_Everything is starting to make so much more sense now… But there is one problem left that's standing in-between us.'_

And that was her true identity.

"Natsu… I know this is coming from out of nowhere, but I have to tell you the truth," the blonde said quietly.

He glanced down at her in tired curiosity, "What do you mean?"

Lucy frowned and linked her arm with his once again before going on, "The truth is… my name isn't really Lucy Ashley."

…

"Okay," he answered calmly after a moment. She looked up at him again, but this time kept eye contact. His obsidian orbs looked directly back into her own brown ones, holding her attention and compelling her to continue on with the truth.

"My name… is actually Lucy Heartfilia. I'm the-"

"Princess of Fiore," he finished triumphantly, "Finally you tell me the truth. I was beginning to wonder when you would finally decide to trust me."

The princess felt her mouth drop open in dismay and she reeled back, "You- You mean… You knew this entire time? And you didn't care to say anything about it?"

Natsu shrugged, "I guess I knew from the start, yeah. I mean, it was pretty obvious when you first came to me at the tavern, seeking my help. Although it wasn't exactly _my_ help you were looking for," he added with a grin.

Lucy sighed and hung her head, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner then. It wasn't that I didn't trust you, it's just… I don't know. I suppose I was just scared. I didn't want anything to ruin our friendship…"

The pinkette rolled his eyes, "I doubt anything will ruin our friendship, Luce. In fact, this has only brought us closer, now that we're being honest with each other."

Lucy smiled playfully and leaned into his arm, "Luce?"

Natsu smirked back and nodded slowly, "Aye. Do ye gots a problem with that, yer majesty?"

"Oh, _please_ don't ever say that again. And stop talking like that, you weirdo!"

"What are _you_ going to do about it? I can do whatever I want. Last I checked, this was _my_ ship and _my_ crew and-"

"You don't want to know what I'm capable of, Mr. Dragneel. You are immensely lucky that your body is injured, or else you would be lying on the floor pleading for mercy."

Natsu stared at her with a flirtatiously raised brow, "Oh really? That sounds rather fascinating, milady. Please enlighten me more on how you would like to punish me."

Lucy's eyes widened and she shrieked, covering her cheeks with both palms before shoving a laughing Natsu away from her.

"N-N-No! That is _not_ what I meant, you pervert!"

"First you want to have your way with me, and now you're speaking of doing unmentionable dirty things to my 'body'… Wow, Luce. Wouldn't peg you for the kinky type-"

"Oh, stifle it you lecher!" the blonde growled in embarrassment. It seemed everything she said to him these days came out in the worst ways possible.

The pink-haired man simply yawned loudly and stretched his muscular bare arms high above his head, trembling with the effect of his drowsiness.

"Wow," he said in the middle of his yawn, "I'm actually really tired tonight."

"I wouldn't doubt it. You haven't had a decent night's sleep in a long time," Lucy chided gently.

The pinkette shrugged and offered her a sleepy smile, "Yeah, well, all in the name of being chivalrous."

"You don't have to, you know."

"'Have to' what?"

"Offer me your cot," Lucy said simply, beginning to stand, "I can always sleep somewhere else. And anyway-"

"Lucy," Natsu interrupted firmly, jumping to his feet quickly and grasping her shoulders, "You're not sleeping anywhere else but here. I forbid it. I'm fine, really. I'm a man after all; I can handle it."

Lucy frowned and tried her best to ignore the tingling sensation in where he had his hands on her shoulders. They were big and warm and-

"Well, if you insist on me sleeping here, then why don't you sleep with me?" she asked without thinking.

He merely blinked once.

"… Uh…What?"

Now it was her turn in the blinking game.

"What do you mean 'what?'"

"'What' means 'what', Lucy."

Her frown deepened and she grabbed at his hands before dancing around him with surprising finesse and pushed him back on the cot. He winced slightly, but stared up at her incredulously nonetheless.

"Don't 'what' me, Natsu Dragneel. You're going to get a decent nights rest tonight, or so help me, I'll make sure Gray locks you up in here until you do. Do you understand?"

He released a breathy laugh and shook his head, "You do realize what you're telling me to do, right? You're asking me to sleep with you. In a small cot. Alone. In a darkened room. Did I mention alone?"

Lucy's face heated up and she turned away quickly after giving him a short nod of her head in affirmation to what she was asking.

"I am well aware, thank you."

"…Did I also mention I sleep naked?"

…

"… Be that as it may, you _aren't_ tonight. If you do, I swear to the heavens above, I will sever your manhood and feed the remains to the sharks."

The man behind her audibly gulped and chuckled nervously, "Ah… well, thank you for the warning. I really don't doubt your conviction. I was, er… joking. About the whole sleeping naked thing."

Lucy couldn't help but laugh as she made her way to the lamps, dousing each one before fumbling back over to the cot and falling down rather unceremoniously on top of it next to her friend.

"And I," she replied breathlessly, "was kidding as well."

"Right, of course you were," he replied sarcastically while removing his boots, "So… how do you want to do this?"

Lucy shrugged, suddenly nervous at the situation she was in. She had never even slept in the same room as a man, let alone in the same bed… a very _small_ bed at that. To even call it that ought to be illegal really. She was tempted to recant her offer, but the mere thought sent her into a downward spiral of guilt.

Taking a deep breath and steeling her nerves, she reached over and felt around for Natsu's strong arms, accidentally bumping into his chest-

"Sorry!"

"It's fine."

-his shoulders then-

"Sorry, sorry!"

"What are you doing?"

-and then his biceps.

"There you are!" Lucy whisper-shouted victoriously.

"Aye, indeed! …Why are we whispering?"

Lucy shook her head after a silly grin formed on her face and she was thankful that Natsu couldn't see her then. She slid her hands down his smooth and toned arms, in awe of the rigid muscle her fingers passed over, and finally grasped his wrists tightly. With a final sigh, she leaned her head back toward the soft feather pillow, bringing him with her in the process.

"Just… lie down behind me, alright?" she murmured quietly.

The pinkette said nothing and simply acquiesced to her request, scooting his body farther up onto the cot and positioning himself behind her carefully. The cot had definitely not been designed for two people, but Lucy had to make it work. Pushing back as much of herself as she could into Natsu, she released a shaky breath and finally buried her face into the pillow. Natsu lay still behind her, unmoving but relaxed.

…

…

"Why are you so tense?" the pinkette suddenly asked in the darkness.

Lucy groaned and tried to shake the tingling feeling that coursed through her as soon as he spoke. His voice rumbled in his chest and vibrated against her back, which happened to be tightly molded against his front, as was the rest of her behind…

Oh Gods in heaven. Her _behind_. Against his _front_. She blushed like mad and squirmed at the thought.

"Lucy, Lucy… please stop moving this instant. You're making things… difficult."

"Wh-What?"

"Stop moving and relax. You're thinking too much. Just imagine you're someplace else and-"

"I don't want to imagine myself someplace else. I wouldn't _want_ to be anyplace else." Again, without any hesitation. She mentally slapped herself on the forehead.

"…Alright then, that sits with me just fine."

Lucy inhaled a deep breath and then exhaled rhythmically, willing her nerves to go away. She closed her tired eyes and focused on the deep breathing of her partner behind her, accompanied by the steady rocking of the ship, which always proved to be a potent pacifier. The smells too: parchment paper, ink, wax, the scent of the sheets, the feathered pillow, the spicy smell…

That smell. It was even more powerful than when Lucy had first smelled it. Twisting around gently to face the pillow, the blonde buried her nose into the soft lushness, seeking out the now-comforting scent. She inhaled deeply… but that wasn't where the smell was coming from.

Then it struck her.

'_Natsu.'_

Deftly spinning around to face her partner, she could barely make out his face in the dark, as faint light still trickled in from the cracks underneath the double doors.

His eyes were wide open.

"You don't know how incredibly frightening that is, Natsu," Lucy whispered into the dark. The other shrugged slowly, ignoring her comment.

"What are you doing?" he asked after a moment.

"I'm… smelling…?"

"…You're weird."

"Says the man that has pink hair," Lucy shot back.

"…Touché."

The pair grew silent after that and continued to just stare at one another, with Lucy still inhaling what she now knew as Natsu's scent. She had found it comforting since she had first boarded the _FairyTail_, so she simply couldn't help herself. It had begun to fade from the pillow and she had missed the sea-water, sunlight, fire-smoke, spice smell.

"Are you… sniffing _me_?" Natsu asked with an incredulous chuckle. Lucy vehemently shook her head.

"Of course not. Don't be ridiculous."

"Right. You answered that just a little _too_ quickly, milady."

"Come off of it and go to sleep already," Lucy retorted exasperatedly. She was definitely tired now and could barely keep her eyes open any longer. The tranquilizing smells that took over her senses combined with the ship rocking threatened to toss her into sleep, but for some reason she was reluctant to let it take her.

Natsu chuckled again and then yawned deeply, blowing warm air across her face- they were so close, their noses nearly touched. The thought made Lucy's stomach flutter and twist in a pleasant way…

"No need to tell me twice. Goodnight, Luce."

The princess smiled and curled her head into Natsu's broad chest, ignoring her sense of propriety and self-preservation. She was gradually coming to the conclusion that she could allow herself to become vulnerable with this strange pink-haired man without having to worry about him harming her.

And now that she thought about it… he would never do such a thing. The thought made her smile broaden.

"Goodnight, Natsu."

And with those last thoughts in her mind, she finally let sleep claim her.

* * *

**AHHH! Who loved it?!**

**So in regards to the whole magic thing: I know it's not quite the same as in the show and manga, but like with this _entire_ story, I wanted things to be a little different... So I kinda made up some things hehe. I hope no one minds.**

**HOW OBSERVANT ARE YOU?!**

**1. ****Has anyone noticed the way Lucy talks with Natsu now? :O**

**Haha well, I hope everyone enjoyed that last chapter. Lemme know what you all think by leaving a review for me! Until next time my duckies! :D**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello again, Audience!**

**ERMAGERD! You guys are totally amazing. I got so many freakin' comments in regards to that last chapter... I just wanna say that I love you all and I hope you keep enjoying the story! ACK!**

**I had a bit of trouble writing this chapter out, so I would appreciate some reviews concerning how I did... :) This chapter contains a bit of zing, but nothin' bad ;) Also, it's much shorter than the last one, so don't be angry my lovely duckies! :o**

**Anyway, again, I hope you all enjoy this latest chapter! :D**

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**Disclaimer: We all know that I don't own Fairy Tail. If I did, Lucy and Natsu would _totally _be together, as would Gajeel and Levy... and all of my other shiplets of course. ;) Ahem... Onward!**

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**Chapter 13**

Obsidian eyes opened lazily at the sound of gulls squawking about outside and the soft moan of the girl in front of the owner of said eyes. Natsu could smell the fresh sea air and the abundant morning sunshine just outside the double doors to his quarters, and he could also smell something else that captured his immediate attention, causing his eyes to snap wide open and gaze around alertly.

This smell… he knew what it was. Or rather, he knew _who_ it was.

Lucy.

And heavens above, she smelled absolutely _divine_.

She didn't have a particular scent about her - it was mixed with so many different things all at once that they all just sort of combined and created a new unspecified and unnamed smell. Natsu decided right then and there that it would be his favorite scent and that he would call it "The Lucy Smell".

'_Very original and intelligent, Dragneel,'_ he thought to himself with a silent chuckle.

The blonde wiggled in his arms and snuggled closer to his chest, a soft sigh passing through her perfect lips as she did so. When she moved, Natsu was suddenly made very aware of everything around him and his already hypersensitive senses seemed to triple in potency. Her erotic and irresistible scent hit him full force, which nearly had his mouth watering, and he leaned forward slightly to greedily inhale more of the bewitching aroma.

He realized that he had casually slung his arm over her trim waist and their fronts were intimately molded against one another which made the Dragon Slayer's breath catch and become erratic. Every curve of her body was soft and squishy as opposed to his hard planes and chiseled muscle, and she emitted a particular warmth that made him want to squeeze her body toward him even closer, if that were possible.

She felt... _good_. _Really_ good.

So good in fact, that he also realized he was just a little bit _too_ stiff in some particular nether regions of his body. Who could blame him though? Lucy was an incredibly beautiful and equally smart woman with a spitfire attitude to match. And to top it all off: even though she was a princess, she was just as adventurous as he was and she was willing to learn more about the world - no, she _craved_ to learn more about the world.

The thought made the pinkette smile.

He squeezed his eyes shut when she moaned and wiggled once more – willing himself not to pounce upon her body and ravish her right then and there – until she was lying flat on her back with her face angled toward him. Her plump lips were slightly parted and she seemed to be dreaming now because her brow twitched once and she smiled brilliantly, lighting up the dim room with that simple facial expression.

Natsu sighed and brushed back some stray strands of blonde hair from her porcelain face, allowing his long fingers to delicately brush against her smooth skin as he did so. He studied her fair features and memorized every line and angle, brushing his knuckles now against her jaw line which earned him another gentle moan.

Gods, those lips… they looked so warm and soft. He simply adored warm things. What would happen if he touched them? Hmm… perhaps he would find another thing that he greatly admired. Not that he didn't already find them particularly fascinating-

'_Oh, bloody hell. I have to get out of here.'_

Shaking himself firmly, he regretfully disentangled their entwined bodies and tossed his long leg over her so he could remove himself from the cot. Before he could toss his other leg over however, Lucy's captivating sleep-filled eyes suddenly opened and she stared up at him groggily.

"Mmm… Natsu…? What are you doing?"

"Shh…" he hushed gently and hesitantly reached down to stroke her silky blonde hair soothingly. He didn't want to alarm her with his actions, but Gods in heaven! The woman was too damn tempting for her own good. It was nearly impossible _not_ to touch her, now that he had been given a taste of such a sin.

Whoever said he was a saint though?

Lucy closed her eyes and released a long sigh, leaning her head into his touch and mumbling incoherent words as she fell back asleep. Before he could change his mind about ravishing her senseless, Natsu swiftly but gracefully flipped his other leg over his bedding companion and walked briskly to the washroom. Tensions were escalating with that woman; he knew that for a fact now. Last night, he had only been jesting about the suggestive jokes he threw her way, but now? He cursed and looked down at himself.

Aye… He knew he wouldn't be able to restrain himself should he ever do it again.

Natsu stopped in front of his chest of clothing, yanked out an off-white shirt, and tugged open the bathroom door so he could rid his body of this current _pressing_ dilemma… no pun intended.

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"Good morning, Mr. Fullbuster," Natsu called as he headed up the bridge steps to join his comrade. The raven was currently manning the wheel and he nodded a greeting.

"Good morning yourself, Captain. You're looking well rested. What happened last night?" he asked with a sly grin. Natsu rolled his eyes but smiled back despite himself.

"Not what you're thinking I'm sure. Listen," he said as soon as he was standing next to the other, "I want the men to take it easy for the day. Have everyone clear the main deck and make sure it's spick and span. I don't want anything on there that doesn't belong, understand?"

"Aye sir. If I may ask: what's all this for?"

Natsu grinned and replaced Gray's hands on the wheel with his own as the raven shuffled over to carry out his command.

"I want to teach Lucy how to use a sword and you and the rest of the crew are going to help."

The other sputtered and nearly choked on his saliva and immediately halted mid-step. Witnessing such a thing made Natsu think of himself and how Lucy had managed to make him do much of the same thing once before. The thought made him smile again and laugh silently to himself.

"We're gonna do _what_ now? You can't possibly be serious. She's-"

"I'm _dead_ serious. I want her to be able to defend herself should the need ever arise. I won't be around to protect her forever, you know, but I can prevent her from getting hurt by doing this. Besides… I also want to teach her how to use Magic."

Gray's face became blank and he leaned away from his captain, "You told her-?"

"She already knew about it. Apparently her mother was a Celestial Spirit Mage; she had the Gate Keys and everything," Natsu said with a shrug.

"A Celestial Spirit Mage, eh? They're pretty rare, alongside another certain type of Mage I happen to know."

Natsu grinned and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Aye… I kind of told her about that too."

"_What_?!" the raven shouted, "Are you serious? What the hell did you two all talk about last night?"

Natsu sighed and revised everything that Lucy had told him the previous night as well as everything he in turn had shared with her. Throughout his entire recap, Gray's face had become paler than usual but other than that, he seemed to take it pretty well. And considering all of the information he had shared with Lucy, he realized she had taken it fairly well in likewise.

"Wow, man. I didn't think you'd actually tell her about your Magic, considering the price that comes along with it… but apparently she has you wrapped around her finger. And she's the _Princess_ of _Fiore_ of all people," the raven muttered, leaning back against the railing of the bridge. Natsu frowned and looked away from his quartermaster.

Lucy… The Princess of Fiore, huh?

He knew she had been the princess all along. Of course he couldn't prove the fact, but he had suspected as much when he had first laid eyes on her. The manner in which she spoke; her unrivaled beauty; the way she carried herself - not in arrogance, but in confidence. Each of these things just aided him in discovering the truth, and now she had finally confessed.

But why now? Had it been because of the one-on-one conversation from last night, which had both parties revealing conceivably life-threatening secrets? Well… not so much on Lucy's end, but on _his_ end especially.

Considering the information he had brought to light alone was inexplicably dangerous to reveal, especially the parts about Dragon Slayer Magic and his father. What would happen to her if someone figured out what she knew about his father, a fire Dragon? When Alden Tully came to him, "questioning" him about his father's true form, the events that had transpired hadn't exactly been… pleasant. And even then, Tully had no idea that Dragon Slayer Magic existed.

Although Natsu wasn't sure what the Lord Steward would do once he had the information he sought, the pinkette was certain that it couldn't possibly be a good thing. The man was greedy and conniving, and didn't give a damn about the consequences of his actions. He was the worst kind of scum, and to make matters worse, that same scum was now in control of the entire country of Pergrande.

Natsu sighed and gave himself a firm shake when he realized Gray was waiting for him to speak. He could worry about all of that when the time came. For now, he could protect Lucy by teaching her how to use a sword and also instructing her in the ways of Magic.

"She doesn't have me wrapped around her finger, you bastard. She just-… She reminds me of myself in so many different ways. It's blasphemy, really. And I don't give a damn if she's the _queen_; it makes no difference to me. She practically came to us in tears, begging me to help her. I don't know what could have possibly happened to her back there, but I'm not willing to risk the chance of her being captured and sent back."

Gray nodded thoughtfully and then an evil smirk started to play at the corners of his mouth.

"…You're in love with her, aren't you?"

Natsu froze and then slowly turned his head in the direction of his quartermaster; his dark eyes were narrowed dangerously and the look he sent the raven could literally _kill_.

"I'm not in love with her and if you ever speak of such nonsense again, I swear to the Gods above, you will be vomiting up your teeth for a fortnight. Do you understand?"

The other narrowed his eyes as well, but to Natsu's surprise, he didn't lash out with some witty retort. Instead, he merely held up his hands in defense and took a small step back.

"Relax, Natsu. I was only messing around. There's no need to get all touchy."

The pink-haired captain tightened his grip on the ship's wheel and turned away from the dark-haired man irately, "I'm not _touchy_, okay? Now leave me and go and do as I ordered you. Please."

Gray stared at his longtime rival for a moment before sighing and turning away on his heel and walking down the steps of the bridge without saying another word.

Natsu closed his eyes and sighed heavily while leaning his head against the smooth and polished wood.

God's teeth… how the devil had things turned out this way? He had awoken with a slight skip in his step and now his good mood had been completely obliterated by the depressing images that flooded through his mind.

Of course he didn't love her. He had sworn off such a feeling years ago when _that_ had happened…

However, if he were really truthful to his feelings, then he could honestly say that he _did_ feel something for the blonde beauty that was currently asleep in his cot down below. It may not have been love, but it was undeniably _something_… and that was some unquestionably dangerous water he was wading in.

'_What am I doing?'_

**:**

**:**

**:**

**:**

Lucy sighed sleepily and rolled over onto her left side at the sound of approaching footsteps. Judging from the way they heavily fell suggested that they belonged to a man.

Well, of course they did! She was the only woman who was aboard the ship.

'_Why is it that I keep forgetting I'm travelling overseas? I slept with Natsu in his cot after all…'_

Natsu. Thinking about the previous night had Lucy blushing like a young school girl who had recently crossed paths with her lifelong heart-throb. His hardened body against hers had felt so good… Wait. Where was he anyway? She could no longer feel his warmth against her, and his potent and delectable scent had begun to fade.

The blonde dared to open her brown eyes when the footsteps that had been approaching the cot suddenly stilled in their advance. Lucy was met with the familiar grin of Natsu himself… and her heart palpitated when she realized that he was nearly naked. He was shirtless and bootless, and the white knee-high baggy trousers he wore hung precariously loose around his hips. _'Where did those come from?'_ The water droplets from the recent bath he must have taken made his skin glisten in the morning sun, making it appear as if there were diamonds embedded into his taut muscles…

'_Morning sun?'_

Lucy tore her gave away from the man standing before her and was shocked to see that the curtains covering the windows had been pulled back, casting warm rays of sunlight inside the large quarters. She didn't have time to look around the room however, because Natsu was suddenly leaning down and hovering over her, his face coming within inches of her own. He was so close; she could literally feel his body heat through her own clothes which made her skin tingle with unbidden pleasure.

"Lucy…" he whispered throatily, his warm breath fanning over her delicate face. She whimpered and subconsciously stared at his lips. They were wide and strong, and they looked as if they could be soft. She desperately wanted to confirm her theory.

"Natsu…? What are you doing?"

"Shh…" came his immediate response and he gently placed a finger against her plump lips. The appendage scorched her skin in the most delicious way and she found herself shuddering beneath him. Oh the things he could do to her with a mere touch.

A peculiar expression crossed his face and his obsidian eyes grew impossibly darker with an unknown passion she had never seen before. Those same eyes roamed over her face until they finally halted their expedition and landed on her own lips. His breathing was slightly labored and with each puff of air, Lucy was rewarded with his fire-smoke scent which made her slightly dizzy with… a foreign emotion.

The hand that had silenced her lifted from her lips and gently cupped her right cheek, while the other hand came down and rested on the side of her head, supporting the owner's body weight. She gasped when Natsu's hand touched her sensitive skin and she closed her eyes, releasing a contented sigh as his thumb slowly traced small circles into her flesh.

"Lucy… look at me. I want to see your eyes," he murmured quietly, never ceasing in his ministrations to her skin. At Natsu's command, Lucy re-opened her eyes and stared up at him, her brown orbs wide with wonder. How could such a simple sentence render her so completely numb with torrential emotion?

He smiled gently and released her cheek to drag a single digit down her face, his finger leaving behind a blazing trail of fire.

"I want to kiss you… Will you let me?" he asked suddenly.

Lucy couldn't breathe. Kiss her? He wanted to _kiss_ her? Gods yes, she would definitely let him… but she was unsure how to convey this at the moment. He had thoroughly robbed her of all forms of speech. So she forced herself to nod incompetently and watched as his gentle smile turned into a devilish smirk.

Ever so slowly, he lowered his face and firmly pressed his lips against her own, eliciting a small moan from the girl underneath him. She had been right. His lips were unbelievably soft... Instinctively, Lucy's hands moved up to hug his neck almost frantically, pulling him closer, and the kiss quickly turned heated from there. His mouth slanted over hers and she barely registered the fact that he was now somehow straddling her, pressing his firm body against her softer curves, causing them both to moan at the pleasurable feeling it caused.

Like any other woman, Lucy had imagined what her first kiss might have been like. She imagined it would be with a handsome and refined man who held a deep fascination for books and owned his own library. She imagined that when they had first kissed, it would be on a luscious and flower-filled hilltop where they could gaze at the stars and then, while holding her hand, he would kiss her sweetly while butterflies danced in her tummy and fairies flew about in the crisp air around them, creating magical light of multiple colors.

But this… this was _not_ what she had expected at all. This man was a warrior; a soldier, skilled in the art of swordsmanship and Magic. He was a rebellious prince who went against the very law of propriety and zealously ignored the boundaries of social ethicality. This same man had the Princess of Fiore trapped underneath him, writhing in a pleasure-heated state, begging for more than what he was giving her. Instead of butterflies flitting about in her stomach, there were hot flames, and the fairies had somehow manifested themselves as new intense feelings that seemed to hover about the squirming lip-locked duo, only adding to the already lust-filled air.

Natsu suddenly traced the seam of her lips which triggered yet another surprised moan from the blonde beneath him. Seizing the opportunity, the pinkette plunged his hot tongue inside of her warm cavern and explored every inch of her mouth.

The action had been unexpected, but by no means did Lucy find it unpleasant. By _no_ means whatsoever. In fact, the flames that had begun to pool in her lower belly only seemed to intensify and they traveled to a lower region that she had previously given little thought to. _Now_ though… she was desperate to rid herself of the delicious heat that had begun to fill her core.

She moved her tongue against his in much of the same way he had done to her and another powerful shudder tore through her body when he moaned, the sound vibrating through their connected mouths and travelling down her throat. After several long moments of the heated lip-lock battle, Natsu pulled away and gazed down at her with the strangest look in his dark obsidian eyes…

_'Desire,'_ she realized a split-second later. And it was directed at _her_.

Lucy panted and blinked a few moments to clear the fog from her mind. What in Earthland was she thinking, kissing him like that? Even though he had been the one to initiate it – and ask for it – she hadn't denied him. She didn't _want_ to deny him. She had wanted that kiss every bit as much as he did… a fact which terrified and excited her at the same time.

"Lucy…" he whispered again, lowering his head once more and descending his lips toward her throat… She closed her eyes and waited for the pleasure to come.

…

However, to her disappointment, she didn't feel the sensation of his lips moving against her heated skin, nor could she hear the sound of his labored breathing. When she opened her eyes to give voice to her frustration, she was confused to find that there was no one there. Natsu was gone, along with his scent and the sunlight that had been streaming in through the windows.

Turning her head to the side and pushing herself up somewhat into a sitting position, Lucy seen that the curtains had been drawn to a close again and the only light that illuminated the dim room was from the recently lit oil lamps that hung on the wall. The blonde mentally cursed herself and threw her head back against the feather pillow.

'_It was only a dream…'_

Lucy slowly drew up a shaky arm and placed it gently over her eyes as she tried to get a handle on her pounding heart. Even though it had only been a dream, she felt as if though she could still feel his lips against hers and his hard body pressing down into her as he kissed her senseless. The thought had her feeling hot all over again, so she had to repeat her calming process.

"Calm down, Lucy," she said to herself quietly.

She couldn't believe it. She had just had a dream about Natsu and her _kissing_. Was it even appropriate to call it that? It had left her feeling breathless and dazed, completely unaware of anything and everything around her. She hadn't even realized that the door had opened and the subject of her thoughts had poked his princely head inside of his quarters to see if she had awakened yet.

"Lucy?" he called out softly.

Said girl jumped when she instantly recognized his sultry voice – sultry? Oh Gods in heaven... – and she quickly sat up in the cot, eyeing him nervously.

"Y-Yes, I'm awake!"

He took that as an invitation and strolled through the door, shutting it behind him firmly as he passed. He was wearing a white long-sleeved shirt with a deep collar that exposed his elegant collarbone; he still donned his dark colored form-fitting pants that he had been wearing last night, and his feet were now clad in his black boots.

He stopped a respectable distance away from her, planting his fists on his hips and staring down at her with his head tilted slightly to the side.

"Are you finally awake now?"

Lucy couldn't bear to look at him, not when images of her vivid dream suddenly flooded through her mind, making her blush. She hastily turned away and looked elsewhere, trying to form a cohesive sentence in her brain.

"Um-… Yes… Yes, I am. How… are you?" she asked with difficulty.

"If you're referring to my injury, then I feel fine, thank you for asking. If you're referring to the excellent sleep I had last night…" he trailed off, a hint of a smile in his voice.

The princess nodded, still without looking at him, "That's wonderful news."

…

Silence.

…

"Are you alright?" he suddenly asked.

Lucy sighed and forced herself to look up at him, trying her best to push away the emotions that suddenly overwhelmed her as soon as she looked into his eyes. He looked absolutely darling as he stared back at her with a concern-filled face and his lips forming a small closed "o".

She couldn't help it – she smiled and she covered her mouth to stifle a mutinous giggle. He raised a perfect pink brow as the concern started to melt away from his features.

"What's so funny?"

"N-Nothing! Nothing at all."

He frowned and suddenly he was in her face, much in the same way as he had been in her dream. Only this time, the effect he had was at least one-thousand times more forceful. He didn't allow a single facial expression - other than that frown - to cross on his unbearably handsome face as he stared her down.

"Are you by any chance laughing at _me_, little princess?"

Lucy could barely restrain her laughter and as a result, a snort forced its way through her nose. The sound had been so unexpected that it had Natsu reeling back in surprise and Lucy bursting out into a state of laughter that had her grabbing at her sides in jovial pain.

After a few moments of unrestrained laughter, Lucy finally managed to open her eyes once again and she stared up at Natsu sheepishly. His face was completely stoic again as he stared right on back.

"Uh… No, Captain," she said nervously. It was strange. There always seemed to be a smile present on his face, yet there was nothing there. Not even a hint of amusement.

'_His eyes…'_ Lucy suddenly thought to herself. His eyes would tell her everything. And they did: the mirth she had been searching for danced playfully in the dark depths, lighting up his face and telling her everything she wanted to know.

"Truly?" he asked after a moment.

She shook her head automatically, compelled to answer in false reply under his scrutinizing gaze, but then she nodded guiltily.

"I mean… Yes, Captain."

He hummed and clicked his tongue disapprovingly, "That truly is a shame. And here I was, coming to inform you that your training starts in less than ten minutes, but now you're sitting here, lying to my face and laughing at me. How injurious of you."

Lucy felt her mouth drop open in astonishment, "T-Training? As in-"

"Yes, yes; training for your induction as a novice Mage," he interrupted with a wave of his hand.

"I-I'm sorry, Captain! It won't happen again, I promise!" Lucy swore excitedly. She now sat erect and attentive, her dream already pushed to the back of her mind. Nothing could distract her now; she was going to learn Magic, just like her mother!

Natsu finally cracked a grin at her enthusiasm and he offered her a curt nod, "Very well. As I've said before, I personally don't make it a habit to ever lie, so I would expect my pupil to do the same."

Lucy bobbed her head, "Aye, sir! I, also, make it a point to always keep my promises, no matter what."

"That's good to hear," Natsu replied, his grin widening at her use of language. "Now, without further ado: I want you to get dressed into some comfortable clothes that will allow you to move without hindrance. What you're going to be witnessing and going up against will be unlike anything you have ever experienced before; do you understand?"

"Aye, sir!" Lucy chirped, slightly in awe.

Without saying anything else, Natsu clasped his hands behind his back and strolled back out of the room, leaving Lucy alone to her thoughts.

The pinkette wasn't really one to exaggerate when he was serious… at least, as far as she knew. What could he possibly have in store for her? There was only one way to find out.

* * *

**Well there you have it! Who liked the ZING?! ;D ACK! I admittedly had a lot of fun writing this chapter out... Ahh, the NaLu goodness.**

**Questions and Statements for the Audience!**

**I was recently watching the Oracion Seis Arc, and I thought to myself: "Does anyone else want to see an 'Evil Natsu' as much as I do?" I mean, imagine the sheer POWER he would have if he were to turn to the dark side... Maybe, at least. If he were to get into a _serious_ fight with Erza, do you think he would win? In my mind, I say, "HELL YES!" but I would like to hear what you all have to say to that.**

**Also: Am I the only one who is absolutely in LOVE with Sting? Please tell me I'm not the only one who squees in excitement whenever I see his beautiful face. The same thing goes for Gajeel and Laxus. I _always_ freak out whenever they appear on screen... Of course, Natsu is my main eye-candy though. ;)**

**One last comment: Who else thinks Natsu is absolutely _delectable_ in the latest opening of the Grand Magic Games Tournament Arc?! *DROOLS* Does anyone know what I speak of?! :O When his hair is blowing in the wind... and his eyes are closed... only for him to suddenly open them... HOLY _CRAP_! Ah... I'm done fangirling now. Sorry guys.**

**Okay, I swear this is the last thing: Do you remember when Natsu was trying to escape to the bathroom to... relieve himself? And Lucy had sleepily questioned him as to what he was doing...? Did anyone happen to catch what I did there? Put two and two together? Hehe, just wondering ;) Alright! I'm done now. **

**Ahem. I LOVE YOU ALL! Thank you for your constant support and I look forward to posting the next chappy! Until next time! :D**


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